Arts

October 17, 2022

By Allan  |  2022/10/15 21:41 Posted in Announcements, Arts, P.D., SEL  |  Comments Off on October 17, 2022

 

Howdy Holt Bolts,

Twenty-one items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Three staffing updates:

• 1st Grade Long Term Sub – Chastity Doty is taking over for Jacque through winter break while he’s on a leave. Chastity has been a semi-regular sub here at Holt and was actually here all week for Jacque two weeks ago.

• New Kitchen Staff, Amber Sequeira – Nutrition Services originally reduced staff from the Holt Kitchen this school year, but this past week added someone back and we now have Amber Sequeira joining the kitchen team. Please welcome Amber to the team and if your’e keeping score on our Staff Member Same Name Club, it now includes Amber & Amber, Ashley & Ashley, Carol & Carol, Debbi & Deb, Elizabeth & Liz, Jackie & Jacque, Katie, Katherine & Kathy, Kelly & Kelly, Lisa, Lisa & Lisa, Rob & Robbie, and Robin & Robin.

• 1st Grade Interviews – We held interviews last Friday for our fourth 1st grade classroom teacher and are now waiting for HR to finalize the job offer. I’ll keep folks posted once things are official.

• Leadership Plan Positions Still Open – We have TAG and Equity leadership positions still open. Please add your name to the Holt Leadership Positions Spreadsheet if you’re willing to take either of these roles.

• REPEAT: Jog-a-Thon, Holt Bolt WEDNESDAY – See Lesli’s Holt Bolt Email for complete details, but here is the schedule for Wednesday: 

K/1/2
Before going outside – Put on Holt Bolt shirts, fill water bottles (make sure they have names), tie shoelaces, pass out and explain QR codes, review expectations
8:35 Go out to your class’ table on hard play. Have students keep their water bottles at the table (we are not running with bottles). Shortly before the start everyone will be called over to the starting line and grades will be announced to start the race.
8:45 Running begins
9:45 Running will end and kids should go back to their tables to gather their belongings and check in with teachers quickly before getting an otter pop. (Awards will be announced later.)
Approximately 10:00 classes should be headed back inside to give volunteers time to set up for the next group.

3/4/5
Before going outside – Put on Holt Bolt shirts, fill water bottles (make sure they have names), tie shoelaces, pass out and explain QR codes, review expectations
10:20 Go out to your class’ table on hard play. Have students keep their water bottles at the table (we are not running with bottles). Shortly before the start everyone will be called over to the starting line and grades will be announced to start the race.
10:30 Running begins
11:30 Running will end and kids should go back to their tables to gather their belongings and check in with teachers quickly before getting an otter pop. (Awards will be announced later.)
Approximately 11:45 classes should be headed back inside to give volunteers time to set up for the next group.

As we we did last year:

• All morning recesses are canceled. 1st-5th teachers are welcome to take their morning break during their jog-a-thon time.
• KG and 1st lunch recesses will be in the gym. Kids should move through the hallway to the gym. K/1 teachers will pick up from the gym.
• 2nd grade lunch recess will have to be soft play only while things get finished and cleaned up.
• EA support will be limited during the jog-a-thon because of supervision needs. Morning groups MIGHT be canceled. Please keep an eye out for an update as we get closer.

A new prize sheet flyer was given to teachers that should go home in Monday Mailers this week.

Let me know if you have any questions. 

• REPEAT; Vision Screening (K-3) & Dental Screening (K-5), FRIDAY – This Friday from 9:00-12:00 in the gym, is our annual Vision and Dental Screening. All K-5 student will do the dental screening and K-3 students will also do the vision screening. Linked here is the DRAFT Vision & Dental Screening Schedule. Let me or Lesli know if you see anything on there that needs adjusting.

• Friday PD, SEL – The only info downtown has shared so far for Friday’s PD is that it is SEL focused and that we are to all watch it together in a common space, so plan on meeting in the library. No additional details are on the 4J PD Calendar, but I’ll see you all on Friday at 1:25 in the library.

• School Spirit Day, Oct. 28, DRESS-UP DAY! – Friday, October 28th is the monthly Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Dress-Up Day! Kids can come to school in a favorite costume or fancy outfit. The following costume dress code will be shared with families:

• NO weapons or weapon-like props
• NO masks (except with teacher permission in class)
• NO especially scary or gory costumes
• NO inflatable costumes
• NO dressing as another race, ethnicity, or culture

• School Spirit Assembly, Oct. 28 – We’ll have our monthly School Spirit Assembly on Friday next week in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:15 and all classes should be seated at that time. We’re planning on announcing Holt Bolt jog-a-thon prizes at the assembly, along with some of the usual fun.

• Kona Ice Fundraiser, Oct. 28 @12:30 – Kona Ice is coming to Holt for one last time before they shut down for the season. It worked out well last year spring when teachers sent bus riders who brought money to hard. Play early buy and eat their shave ice before having to get onto the bus, so we’ll try that again. I do realize 4th and 5th grade will be on the playground at that time, but I will be out there to crown control. Get kids excited for our final Shave Ice for a while and remember that all staff get a free shave ice as well! Just show your badge!

• Artist in Residence Update – We got our top two choices during our first choice of timeframes. Alebrijes: Paper Sculptures inspired by the art of Oaxaca, Mexico with Tom Miller will be first term, starting Nov. 14th and will run through winter break. Lesli is already working on a schedule. Our other artist in residence will be Ceramic Tiles with Larry Meyers, which will be second term, between winter break and spring break. Lane Arts is still working to nail down the specific dates for Larry.

• REMINDER: Sub Plans and Notebooks DUE – I didn’t put a deadline on my earlier announcement for this, but if you haven’t already, make sure your Sub Plan Notebook (different from the Emergency Binder) is up to date. Notebooks should include the following:

• Class list
• Student Health Information
• Behavior Support Plans
• IEP and 504 Plan Accommodations
• Emergency generic sub plans with your schedule

There should be a notebook for this in every classroom, but if yours is missing, see Melanie or Sharon.

• Sign Your Zaps! – When giving out Zaps to students, make sure you tell the student why they earned the Zap and check the appropriate box, but also remember to put name or initial on them, so we know a student didn’t just find the Zaps or maybe even swiped them.

• Quiet by Dynamos & Library – Now that both Dynamos and Title lessons are in full swing, staff and students should remember to be quiet in these areas when instruction is occurring.

• Teacher Recess Drop-Off & Pick-Up at Curb – Teachers must drop off and pick up students from the red curb on the playground. Kids manage to get into trouble (injuries and general chaos) when they’re allowed to walk to the playground on their own or walk to their entrance without an an adult escort.

• Music, PE, Cafeteria Hallway Congestion – If you are heading to Music and spot classes coming out of the Music Room, it’s best to hang back by the fire doors near the Counseling Office until that class has completely exited. Traffic gets bad on that corner.

• Remind Late Kids From Recess to Use Office Entrance – If kids need to go back to the playground for a forgotten sweatshirt or other item, tell them to re-enter the building through the office. There’s been a few kids lately found locked out of the building.

• Call office if a student is missing – If teachers do not know where a student is (whether they snuck off to the restroom, Calming Room, office, or other area), let the office know right away so we can locate them. No shame. No blame. We just have some kids who like to sneak off and need to call them on it.

• District Late Student Work Policy – This applies more to middle and high school teachers, but linked here is a 4J Late Work Policy that was shared with 504 Coordinators. It states that all students have the right to turn in any work until the end of a unit. See the above linked email for details, but the only exception is if a student has an accommodation on a 504 Plan or IEP.

• Projector Upgrade – I found out last week the Tech Department is replacing some of our oldest mounted projectors, so don’t be surprised if you spot a new projector in your teaching spaces all of a sudden.

• Talent Ed Goals Due 10/31 and Optional Shared Staff Goals – If you haven’t already, please complete your Self Assessment in TalentEd. Licensed Staff Goals are due at the end of October. If you’d like, you can feel free to cut-and-paste these Optional SEL Shared Staff Building Goals into TalentEd before the Oct. 31 deadline.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Staff Mailboxes – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Copy Room & Copying. There’s more in the handbook, but I wanted to highlight:

• Save big copy jobs (grade level projects or multi-page packets) for days other than Monday mornings.
• For copies over 100, please use the Riso.
• Please do not put construction paper in the copier, use the Riso instead.
• If the copier jams, do not walk away! It is staff responsibility to fix the machine. Do not leave it for the next person. If you cannot solve the problem, notify the office immediately and put a sign on the copier

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

October 17 (M)
Library Week #1 Classes
Title Staff Room Duty
Fall Benchmarking Continues
10:00-11:30, Forest Services Speaker (4th Grade)
4:15-5:15, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)

October 18 (T)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Library)

October 19 (W)
Holt Bolt, K/1/2
8:35, Go Outside
8:45-9:45, Running
9:45, OtterPops
10:00, Go Inside

Holt Bolt, 3/4/5
10:15 Go, Outside
10:25-11:25, Running
11:25, OtterPops
11:40, Go Inside

10:00-12:30, OSEA Visit (Staff Room)
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

October 20 (H)
8:05-9:05, Art Docent Guest Speaker (Parks)
9:15-10:15, Art Docent Guest Speaker (Heinrich)
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:00-9:00 I’m Not Racist… Am I? Film & Discussion (Sheldon HS)

October 21 (F)
8:05-9:05, Art Docent Guest Speaker (Lovato)
9:15-10:15, Art Docent Guest Speaker (Ayres)
9:00-12:00, Health [K-5] & Vision Screening [K-2] (Gym)1:25-2:25, Friday PD – SEL (Library/Zoom)

October 23 (SU)
9:30-2:00, EEF’s District-Wide 5K and Fun Run (Alton Baker Park)
12:00-2:00, Holt Student Match – Oregon Volleyball
October 24 (M)
Library Week #2 Classes
Kindergarten Staff Room Duty
Fall Benchmarking Continues
3:45-5:15, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

October 25 (T)
2:45-3:30, PBIS/SEL/Equity Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
5:30-7:00, Grand Opening: Edison Elementary School

October 26 (W)
Holt Bolt Fundraiser Envelopes Due
9:00-10:00, Allan Meeting w/Prevention Services (Darla’s Office)
4:00-9:00, Holt Night Out – Bellizzi’s Pizza Fundraiser
October 27 (H)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:30, Holt Costume BINGO Night (Cafeteria)

October 28 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Dress Up Day!
8:15, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
12:30-2:00, Kona Ice – Holt Shave Ice Fundraiser!

 

Hard to believe Halloween in two weeks. Start planning your outfit for Dress Up-Day!

Allan

 

August 29, 2022

By Allan  |  2022/08/27 23:20 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Literacy, P.D., Science, Technology  |  Comments Off on August 29, 2022

 

Hi Everyone,

It’s the week we get the gang back together!

One pro-tip for new folks accessing some of the links below. Make sure you are logged onto you 4J Google account (using your 4J email and password to log onto Google) and not your personal Gmail account. This often trips folks up.

Thirty-three items of note for this week (sorry there’s so many):

• Staffing Updates – Four staffing updates:

• Nurse (Eden Van Bloem, RN and Hailee Ritter, LPN) – Eden has worked with 4J in the past and we are happy to welcome her back as our RN. I’m also pleased to announce that Hailee, who was with us last year as our LPN, will continue to help support students here at Holt this year.

• Title 1 EA Interviews, Tuesday 9:45-11:15 – We’re holding interviews this Tuesday for our 6-hour Title EA if anyone would like to join me and Jenny. We need a classified rep on the committee, but if any licensed or classified staff would like to joint the committee, let me know and I’ll send you the interview materials.

• Title EA Vacancy and Hire – Lori Tingue, who was returning to her EA position after a temp teaching position at Gilham last year, has accepted a teaching position in Junction City. Earlier in the summer we conducted interviews for another 4-hour EA vacancy, where we had a strong pool of candidates, so I submitted to hire one of the candidates from that pool. Hopefully HR makes a job offer soon and this person can start later this week!

• Darrin Heffington Leave Extended – I learned late last week that Darrin is planning to extend his leave, so we’ll sadly have to wait a while longer for his return. He’s asked for privacy around why he is out, but is still hopeful he’ll be able to return this school year, so for now we’ll start the year with a substitute in his SPED EA position.

• New Staff Email, Calendar, Google Access? – I think I’ve given all our new folks access to the Staff Zimbra Calendar, the Staff Google Drive, and added folks to Staff Email Lists. Let me know if I’ve missed one of these for any of you or if there are other things, such as access to digital curriculum materials you need help accessing.

• Back to School Meeting Agenda – Linked here and on the Staff Google Drive is the Back to School Staff Meeting Agenda. Depending how much discussion we have on some of the business items, I’m hoping I can get folks out early. For some of the decision items, if there’s not an easy clear consensus, I’ll plan to table some of those items to discuss later. Following the all-school staff meeting, I’ll have a short Classified Staff Meeting to go over some supervision items. Let me know if you have any additional agenda items.

See you in the cafeteria at 8:00 for socializing and breakfast snacks, with the meeting starting promptly at 8:30. And free to roll down a comfy teacher chair if you’d rather not sit on a bench.

• Team Sign-Ups – If you’d like to sign-up to be a member of one of our building teams, please add your name to the Team Sign-Up Sheet (2022-2023). Leadership Team (monthly), PBIS Team (monthly), IPBS/SEL Team (twice a month), and I added an Equity Team Meeting (monthly). Teams can be big or small, so doing be bashful about adding your name.

• Inservice Week Updates – Downtown has made more changes to the Inservice Master Schedule Google Doc, but it’s now pretty much complete with Zoom links and most of the conflicts resolved.

• SPED EA Zoom PD Tuesday Morning – We have a staff welcome back gathering at 8:30 in the school garden and SPED EAs have a PD on Zoom that also starts at 8:30, but you all have my permission to show up 15 minutes late for the Zoom if you want to come join everyone in the garden for snacks and socializing.

• Restorative Justice PD, Tuesday, 8/30, OPTIONAL – Principals were told this PD is open to all staff, but is intended for classified staff who may be leading Restorative Circles, so staff should note it’s optional and not required, which is not stated on the above spreadsheet. See this email for details.

• PD Conflicts, Thursday 9/1 – SSD staff should note that Joel Lavin’s Email (telling staff on 9/1 to work in buildings) conflicts what’s on the spreadsheet (attending a Wit & Wisdom PD), but I’d say go with whichever you feel is more useful to you. There’s another conflict this day for Kindergarten teachers and EAs, but I’ve already connected with them.

• District Back-to-School Event Space Limited – If you missed it in the district email, the 4J Back-to-School Event on Thursday has limited space and seating only for 300 attendees. Attendance is optional, but if you do attend you may want to get their early or bring your own camp chair.

I’ve kept the Holt Staff Zimbra Calendar current with the document for classroom teacher and classified staff, but specialists should check the above linked spreadsheet for your meeting dates and times.

 

• EA Help this Week? – Title EAs have PD the same time as teachers Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, but will have other times they can help out where needed. Just fill out the linked Dynamo Assistance Spreadsheet if you can use any help and we’ll see if we can connect you with someone.

• Friday PD Time Change (5-min.) – When we have district led PD, the start time will now be 1:25-2:25 instead of 1:30-2:20. For consistency, I’m going to leave it the same for the monthly building led dates, but let me know if you think this is something we should discuss as a staff.

• Health Curriculum Delivered & Into Video Coming – Teachers may have noticed on Friday that The Great Body Shop Teacher’s Guides were delivered left with your Wit & Wisdom items outside classrooms. Also, you’ll soon start receiving a monthly “Student Issue” magazines each month. See the linked email for details. Downtown is also planning to send a short (15-20 minutes) voice-over slideshow that will introduce teacher to the GBS curriculum, which they want you to review before Thursday and Friday’s Health PD. Here’s a link to the GBS Slideshow w/out Voice-Over if you want to review it without that part. 

• DRAFT EA Schedules – The 2022-2023 Master Schedule now includes the EA Schedule, though it is still VERY much in draft form depending upon whether Title 1 groups are 4 or 5 days a week, which I’m hoping to decide at Wednesday’s Staff Meeting. If there’s not a clear consensus, we may table this decision when we have more time, since Title groups don’t start until later in September.

• REPEAT: 22-23 Master Schedule – Linked here is the 2022-2023 Master Schedule, which is also on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• REPEAT: Who is A/B and C/D on the Schedule? – Grade level teams should let me know which classes will follow the A, B, C, or D schedules and I’ll add names to the Master Schedule and the PE/Music Schedule tab. GOLD STAR to 1st grade who let me know their times first!

• Principal Visits to Classrooms – I’d like to visit every classroom sometime during the first few weeks of school to greet students and introduce myself. I’ll read a favorite story to your class and chat with the kids a bit. Teachers, please let me know a good 10 minutes block of time I can come and visit sometime this month. Thank you!

• Classroom Newsletters to Allan – I’d like to have copies of classroom newsletters when teachers send or email them home to families (CCing me on your email is best). This helps me keep up to date on what’s happening or going to happen in classes when families ask and it also lets me know details of any class activities that I might be able to get local media to come out and cover. I love promoting our school!

• PAHS Meeting Updates – Three updates from the first meeting by our parent group, Parents at Holt School (better known as PAHS).

• Holt Bolt (Oct. 19) and Spring Carnival – Pre-COVID, PAHS was planning to swap the school carnival (Holtober Fest) and jog-a-thon (Holt Bolt), and are carrying through with those plans this year. The Holt Bolt will be Wednesday, October 19th. Times are TBA, but we’ll try to run it in morning similar to how we did it last spring. The date for the Spring Carnival is TBA.

• PAHS Budget – If you’re curious, linked here is the PAHS Budget. They did make one change to add $50 in classroom funds for new teacher. There was one other addition, but didnt’ write it down and it’s escaping me now, but it wasn’t anything major.

• PAHS Table at Meet Your Teacher – Parents will have a table out near Kona Ice to help recruit volunteers more family involvement. They’ll have some games for kids to play while they wait for Shave Ice. They’re also planning to have a table at Curriculum Night, once we settle on a date for that.

• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program – I have an email to the Nutrition Services Department about when this program will start, but wanted to remind teachers that starting this year Holt gets to participate in the Federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, where a raw fresh fruit or vegetable will be delivered to your classroom daily for kids to have as a snack. Stay tuned for more details once I get them, but I wanted to remind folks about this.

• Insurance Open Enrollment Deadline, Sept. 15 – A reminder that you need to choose your insurance plan by September 15th or else you will lose your health insurance benefits for this year. See the 4J Open Enrollment 2022-23 Website for details.

• Check Your Paycheck – 4J is currently transitioning their Finance Department budgeting and payroll systems to a new one, so there’s a possibility for errors on your paycheck, either under or overpaying. I got overpaid one year and had to pay back a bunch of money, which was not at all pleasant.

• 2022-2023 COVID Info for Families – Below is the district message to families on COVID protocols this year, which I’ll put out in the next Quick News:

We are pleased that COVID-19 cases are declining in Oregon; however, we must remain vigilant as the virus is still widespread throughout the state. Masking is optional. If your student tests positive, please call your student’s school to let the staff know. Students who test positive are required to isolate at home for at least 5 days before returning to school. To calculate the 5-day period, Day 1 is the first full day after the symptoms developed or the positive test result is received. Isolation may end after 5 days if the individual is fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine and other symptoms have improved. It’s recommended, but not required that individuals should wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public, including at school, for 5 additional days (Day 6-10) after the end of the required 5-day isolation period.

Brush Up on COVID-19 Protocols: Masks are optional—either way is OK! COVID-19 vaccines are readily available and encouraged, but not required. Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds regularly can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of germs. 4J will offer free rapid COVID testing onsite at all schools for students who develop symptoms. Parent consent is required and forms are available at all schools. coming-up: We are again partnering with the Oregon Health Authority and the University of Oregon to offer free weekly COVID-19 testing to all 4J students during the 2022–23 school year. Information on how to opt-in will be shared with families as soon the program reopens, sometime next week. Check with your school or the district website.

• Color Paper Shortage – 4J has more colored paper on order, but as of right now, the colored paper schools have is all the paper there is. Try to use white paper if you can and please don’t hoard colored paper like it’s toilet paper circa spring 2020.

• Large Print Orders to InstaPrint – If you are doing a large print order (i.e. a grade level class set), you’re encouraged to put in a print order through InstaPrint. Just complete the Print Work Order Form found in the main staff workroom and give that to Melanie.

• Field Trip Info – I shared earlier that field trips are once again allowed, but wanted to remind staff of the linked 4J Field Trip Approval Process. See the link for full details, but you need to submit a Field Trip Request Google Form to HR 30 days before a trip. Linked here is a PDF of the Google Form if you want to see what all info you need to collect before submitting a request. It’s fairly extensive, such as needing to include your volunteers (though HR said you can add that later closer to the field trip date). Also, due to the bus driver shortage, all bus field trips need to start after 8:30 and return to school by 1:15, so drivers can run their regular bus routes. This is a pretty onerous process and was new the year before the COVID shutdown, so I’ve put this on the Back to School Staff Meeting agenda if people have any questions. These links can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard and on the left column of my blog under District & State Links.

• 4J Tech Subscriptions – Linked here are the current 4J Technology Subscriptions. Sadly there is no BrainPOP or Mystery Science this year, but let me know if there are others you think we should consider purchasing as a building or looking to write some grants for.

• Pizza Parties (Not allowed, but…) – This rule isn’t new, but Nutrition Services is cracking down on Pizza Parties, which are not allowed at school because they compete with the school meal program. However, teachers are allowed to do a pizza part if you purchase pizza through the school kitchen. Staff are also allowed to have a pizza party if it happens after a grade level’s regular lunchtime. Check in with me or Deb if you’re planning a food related party to make sure it’s within guidelines.

• VISITOR vs VOLUNTEER Badges – When a non-4J employee signs in at the office, they should have a visitor or volunteer sticker, though at this point, we are not allowing visitors and are only allowing approved volunteers, so if you spot anyone with a “Visitor” sticker, send them back to the office.

• Medication Lock Boxes Available – 4J schools are receiving 5-6 medication lockboxes (they look like cash boxes) that are to hand out to a family that would like to securely store medication. See the linked email for details, which also contains information on obtaining free gun lockboxes as well. Let me, Darla, or Felicia if you know a family in need of one of these and we’ll get them connected.

• REPEAT: Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! Tuesday @8:30! – Join us for burritos, coffee, school supplies and socializing with school friends! Brought to Holt Staff by the amazing group at The Hope Project on Tuesday, August 30th at 3:30 in the School Garden!

 

• REPEAT: 2022-2023 Class Lists – Here’s the link to the 22-23 Class Lists that were created last spring, which are now all in Synergy. Please adjust this document as needed for any rebalancing of classes.

• REPEAT: Holt Staff Fun Facts – If you haven’t already, be sure to fill out or update your info on the Holt Staff Fun Facts Spreadsheet.

• REPEAT: Class List Email Friday Afternoon, Sept. 2nd – Teachers should plan on sending a welcome letter to families of all students in your class the afternoon of Friday, September 2nd. We can decide at our BTS staff meeting on a general time teachers will send the email, but you may want to start writing or updating your letter now.

• REPEAT: ArtSpark Artist in Residence Survey [LINKS FIXED] – Please fill out the linked Artist in Residence Survey to help start the conversation for when we make a decision at our Back-to-School Staff Meeting or which dates and artists we want. ALSO, I got a hot tip from another principal that Jen Hernandez’s Story Crafters & Comics was super good!

• District Admin Updates – See the linked email for details, but Jenna McCulley is the new Director of Communications, Matt Brown is the new Director of Finance, Lisa Fjordbeck is the new Department Operations Coordinator, and Steve Roberts is the new Warehouse Supervisor.

• Melissa & Lori Love Literacy Podcast (Wit & Wisdom Episode) – Candace found a podcast, Melissa & Lori Love Literacy, hosted by a couple teachers who talk about when their school district switched to Wit & Wisdom. Here’s a link to Episode 69 where they talk specifically about the rollout and the shifts they had to make in their teaching. I asked the trainer on Friday if she knew about this podcast and she gave it a thumbs up as good practical information. If you scroll through their episodes, there are several that involve Wit & Wisdom.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

August 29 (M)
8:00-4:00, Wit & Wisdom ELA PD – Day #2 (K-3 @Zoom, 4-5 @Cafeteria)

August 30 (T)
Protected Teacher Planning
Classified Staff Report Back
8:30, Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! (School Garden)
8:30-12:00, SPED EAs to SSD PD (Zoom)
2:30-3:30, Allan to IEP Meeting (Zoom)
9:45-11:45, Title 1 EA Interviews (TBA)

August 31 (W)
8:00-8:30, Breakfast Stacks & Socializing (Cafeteria)
8:30-12:00, Holt Back to School Meeting (Cafeteria)
4:30-7:00, Learn to Ride a Bike – Family Event (Ed Center)

September 1 (H)
7:30-8:30, 4J Staff Back-to-School Gathering Social Time (Churchill HS)
8:30-10:00, 4J Staff Back-To-School Gathering (Churchill HS)
1:00-3:30, EAs (Title, SPED, KG) Wit & Wisdom PD (Zoom TBA)
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades K-2 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Math for for Grades 3-5 (Zoom)
3:00-4:00, KG Teachers & EAs to Kidnerzone Meeting (Zoom)

September 2 (F)
9:00-12:00, Classified & Licensed Universal Design for Learning PD (SEHS Auditorium)
9:00-11:00, Allan to Library Planning Meeting (Chavez)
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades 3-5 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Math for for Grades K-2 (Zoom)

September 5 (M)
Labor Day – No School

September 6 (T)
Collaborative Planning Time for Lang Arts Adoption
8:00-10:00, Staff Meeting – If Needed
10:00-11:00, Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A (Cafeteria)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher
2:00-4:00, Kona Shave Ice Fundraiser (Hard Play)

September 7 (W)
Classes Begin – First Day of School
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

September 8 (H)
Regular Day

September 9 (F)
1:30-2:30, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD – Individual Educator Choice

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Allan

 

FUN FACT! Leonard Skinner was a no-nonsense, flat-topped basketball coach who didn’t even like rock ‘n’ roll and often sent students to the principal’s office because their hair was too long.

 

August 22, 2022

By Allan  |  2022/08/20 21:33 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Literacy, P.D., SEL, Technology  |  Comments Off on August 22, 2022

 

Hello Holt Bolts,

Hope you all are enjoying your final week of the summer.

Twenty-five items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Three staffing updates:

• Head Custodian (Jeremy Rutledge) – Jeremy starts this Monday and comes to us from Awbrey Park where he was the lead custodian for the past seven years. I also learned that Jeremey graduated from Sheldon High School around the same time as Jackie. Small world! Please welcome Jeremey to TEAM HOLT!

• Librarian (Robbie Cortez) – I’m pleased to announce that Robbie, our current Library Assistant who happens to be a licensed teacher, was offered and accepted the position as our new licensed librarian. The school board intends to fund this position as a pilot for 5 years at Holt, Howard, and Chavez, so it’ll be great to have Robbie continue to be with us in the library!

• Title 1 EA, 6-hour (Job Posting) – Now that Robbie is in a licensed position, we are hiring to fill his classified hours, except instead of hiring for a library assistant, we’re hiring for a general education assistant position. The Job Posting is now up and closes Wednesday. I already know of three strong candidates who are applying who we interviewed previously this summer for other jobs, so I’m feeling confident we’ll find someone good!

• 22-23 Master Schedule – Linked here is the 2022-2023 Master Schedule and is also on the Holt Staff Dashboard. You may noice a new block at the end of the day labeled “SSHA” which stands for Science, Social Studies, Health, and Art, taking the place of last year’s Science/Social Studies/Art block. We took this from the 4J Content Minutes Schedule Guide I shared last year (which was just a guideline and not a requirement), but putting SSHA at the end of the day felt like a softer ending to the day for kids instead of Core Math or Reading. Grade level teams are, of course, free to shift time blocks around as you see fit, as long as they don’t move Title, SPED, or PE/Music pullout times.

We’re almost finished with the EA schedule, so watch for that soon.

• Who is A/B and C/D on the Schedule? – Grade level teams should let me know which classes will follow the A, B, C, or D schedules and I’ll add names to the Master Schedule and the PE/Music Schedule tab.

• Inservice Schedule – Downtown has made some updates to the Inservice Master Schedule Google Doc, but principals pointed out there are some overlaps on Thursday 9/1, so there will be some tweaks, but it is generally correct. The above linked doc also includes the PD schedule for licensed specialists (Counselors, Librarians, Music, PE, Title, SSD, and EL teachers) and a tab for classified staff (Gen Ed and SSD EAs). Zoom links and several of the in-person locations will be added later this week, so watch that doc for the official dates, times, locations, and links.

Classified staff should note you have district PD on Tuesday 8/30 (SSD EAs, 8:00-12:00), Thursday 9/1 (All EAs [KG, SSD, Title], 1:00-3:30, KG EAs 3:00-4:00) and Friday 9/1 (All EAs, 9:00-12:00).

I’ll keep the Holt Staff Zimbra Calendar current with what’s on the document. The dates/times at the bottom of this post are current as of Saturday night.

• K-5 Health Adoption – Downtown let principals know the K-5 Health Adoption Team selected The Great Body Shop as 4J’s new health curriculum to be implemented this year. Teacher Kits will arrive at schools soon for each classroom teacher.

Downtown is taking into account the new Language Arts implementation are planning a “soft start.” Instead of teaching all 10 units, they have identified 5 priority units for this year.

Downtown sent principals a GBS K-5 Introductory Slide Show that staff need to see before the 9/1 and 9/2 Health PD days. They suggested blocking out 20 minutes at our Back-to-School Staff Meetings, but since this doesn’t apply to all staff, I don’t want to take up meeting time and figure teachers can play it while you’re working in your classrooms. Downtown also shared with principals the linked K-5 Health Scope & Sequence if you want a preview of this info before the Health PD.

For more info is available on the 4J Elementary Health Website, including How-To videos to get started with The Great Body Shop, and more info will be added later.

• Holt Staff Fun Facts – Ashley has updated the Holt Staff Fun Facts Spreadsheet if new staff members can add your info or if there are other staff who want to update your info, such as what you want kids to call you (“Mr. Chinn”), your favorite coffee drink (almond milk hot chocolate extra hot), or your hobbies (Filmgoer, Video Games, Books, Comics, Bigfoot Enthusiast).

 

 

• Holt Staff Dashboard – I’ve updated the Holt Staff Dashboard for this school year, but also left prior year dashboards on separate tabs. For new folks, this is your one-stop-shop for the many links that get shared out by the district (Absence Management, Curriculum Links, District Phone Lists, etc.) and at the building level (Master Schedule, Class Lists, DHS Reporting Forms, etc.). Let me know if there’s any info you think we should add, change, or delete.

• Class List Email Friday Afternoon, Sept. 2nd – 4J is continuing the practice of emailing families class placement instead of posting class lists outside of the office (which did present privacy issues). Teachers should plan on sending a welcome letter to families of all students in your class the afternoon of Friday, September 2nd. We can decide at our BTS staff meeting on a general time teachers will send the email, but I’ll keep it vague with families, saying they will be emailed class placement info Friday afternoon.

• Friday PD Times – The Friday PD days this year that are not “Teacher Choice” or “Building Based” will be led by district TOSAs (on Zoom I’m guessing), which means the times are being dictated by downtown, but luckily the times they chose for early start schools is what we were already doing last year, 1:30-2:30, with prep happening 2:30-3:30. Downtown also told principals there will be more details coming regarding Staff Choice PD, which begins October 7 (September 9 is “Individual Educator Choice”), so I’m guessing there will be parameters around these days.

• Title 1 Groups 4 or 5 Days a Week? – Prior to last year, Holt has held Title 1 groups 4-days a week instead of the 5, where teachers kept their students on Fridays. This was brought up at the end of last year and I’m putting it on the back-to-school meeting agenda as a discussion item whether we want to go back to that or or keep it five days a week. We’ll make a final decision at the 9/16 Friday PD Day (I’ll steal some time away from the TOSAs). The rationale for this is to give Title 1 staff time to meet, to progress monitor, and to give classroom teachers a day for guest speakers, field trips, or bigger projects. Also, it doesn’t have to be the same for all of K-5, but it could be.

• Volunteers Need Admin Approval – I mentioned last week that we are continuing to limit visitors and volunteers, but also wanted to highlight that staff still need to notify me before your volunteer can start, so I can submit a Volunteer Screening Form to Risk Management before they start. Volunteers also have to complete the required 4J Volunteer Background Check before they start, which for now still includes a proof-of-vaccination requirement.

• Entered ALL Absences into Absence Management (even if you don’t need a sub) – 4J is in the process of revamping their system for staff to record absences, but for now all staff should continue to use Absence Management (formerly AESOP for us old timers) to enter all absences, including when you don’t need a sub or even if it’s just a few hours. If you cannot enter an absence by 6:00am for a sub, call, text, or email Allan and/or Melanie so we can get it entered.

• Back to School Family Newsletter – I’m going to finish the Holt Family Welcome Back Quick News later this Sunday and send it out Monday morning, but the link will be up on the Holt School Website before I email it if you want a preview.

• Second Step Digital Curriculum & Pacing Guide – Also on the Holt Staff Dashboard is a link Online Second Step curriculum materials along with the Second Step Pacing Guide for the year. If you’re not able to log on with your 4J email, let me know and I can resend an invite to connect you to Holt. Codes for your grade level will be in the front of your teacher guides, but let me know if you can’t find them and I can get you right codes.

• ALL Wit & Wisdom Material NOW Available – The missing K-2 Wit & Wisdom materials have arrived and everyone should now have a complete set waiting outside your classroom door. Let me know if you are missing anything. However, the module zero is still at the printshop, so that one is still coming (gold star to Candace for noticing that).

• REPEAT: Wit & Wisdom Online Access – All staff have digital access to Wit & Wisdom. Just visit the website and log on using the password: elafororegon

• REPEAT: Wit & Wisdom PD Notes – Katie Stiles, K-3 Literacy TOSA, had a few suggestions and notes regarding the PD on August 26th and 29th:

• Print Module #1 – It is available online, but she suggested printing the first model and bringing it to the PD.

• Review Student Text – She also said reading over the student text ahead of time will make staff feel more prepared.

• REPEAT: Report Back Dates, CLASSIFIED DATE CHANGE – Please note HR made a mistake on the Classified Work Year Calendar and you now report back one day later than what was originally on the calendar. Here are the report back dates:

• Licensed Staff – Friday, August 26
• Classified Staff – Tuesday, August 30 (196-day on 8/24)

• REPEAT: Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! Tuesday, 8/30 @8:30! – Join us for burritos, coffee, school supplies and socializing with school friends! Brought to Holt Staff by the amazing group at The Hope Project on Tuesday, August 30th at 3:30 in the School Garden!

 

• REPEAT: Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A, 9/6 @10:00 – I’ll be available Tuesday, 9/6 at 10:00 in the cafeteria to share some Holt nuts & bolts logistics, answer questions, and provide any assistance for new folks. I can get busy during inservice week, so I like to set aside a time when I’ll be available for new staff. You can also always text, call, or email.

• REPEAT: Meet Your Teacher, 9/6 @2:00 – In-person Meet Your Teacher is allowed this year and looking at past staff calendars, it was the Tuesday before the first day of school from 2:00-3:00, so that’s what I’m sending out to families. I’ve also scheduled Kona Ice to come at 3:00, so hopefully that’ll make it easier to chase families out of your classrooms when the event is over.

• REPEAT: 2022-2023 Class Lists – Here’s the link to the 22-23 Class Lists that were created last spring. As usual, there are quite a few new move-ins and move-outs, so some adjustments will need to be made.

• REPEAT: ArtSpark Artist in Residence Survey – Holt will get two Artist Residencies again this year funded by ArtSpark. I want to get your preferences early, so we can lock in an artist and date before the good ones are taken. Please fill out the linked Artist in Residence Survey to help start the conversation when we make a decision at our Back-to-School Staff Meeting. ALSO, I got a hot tip from another principal that Jen Hernandez’s Story Crafters & Comics was super good, making a kindness display across the school!

• REPEAT: Make Sure Your Voicemail is Set-Up – Ensure your 4J voicemail is set up and working. See the linked 4J Phone Voicemail Manual or this Quick Start Voice Mail User Guide for how to set it up. If you have questions, contact Rob, at 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu or call (541) 790-7777.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

August 23 (T)
8:00-3:30, New Teacher Welcome Event – Day #1 (ATA)

August 24 (W)
8:00-3:30, New Teacher Welcome Event – Day #2 (Churchill)

August 25 (H)
8:00-3:30, New Teacher Welcome Event – Day #3 (Zoom)

August 26 (F)
Licensed Staff Report Back
8:00-9:00, Time to Pick-Up Wit & Wisdom Materials
9:00-4:00, Wit & Wisdom ELA PD – Day #1 (Holt)

August 27 (SA)
9:00-12:00, Holt Work Day 2022 (Front of School)

August 29 (M)
8:00-3:00, Wit & Wisdom ELA PD – Day #2 (K-3 @Zoom, 4-5 @Holt)

August 30 (T)
Protected Teacher Planning
Classified Staff Report Back
8:00-12:00, SPED EAs to SSD PD (Location TBA)
8:30, Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! (School Garden)

August 31 (W)
8:00-8:30, Breakfast Stacks & Socializing (Cafeteria)
8:30-12:00, Holt Back to School Meeting (Cafeteria)
4:30-7:00, Learn to Ride a Bike – Family Event (Ed Center)

September 1 (H)
8:00-11:00, 4J Staff Back-To-School Gathering (TBA)
1:00-3:30, EAs (Title, SPED, KG) Wit & Wisdom PD (TBA)
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades K-2 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Math for for 3-5 (Zoom)
3:00-4:00, KG Teachers & EAs to Kidnerzone Meeting (TBA)

September 2 (F)
9:00-12:00, Classified & Licensed Universal Design for Learning PD (SEHS Auditorium)
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades 3-5 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Math for for K-2 (Zoom)

September 5 (M)
Labor Day – No School

September 6 (T)
Collaborative Planning Time for Lang Arts Adoption
8:00-10:00, Staff Meeting – If Needed
10:00-11:00, Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A (Cafeteria)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher
3:00-4:00, Kona Shave Ice Fundraiser (Hard Play)

September 7 (W)
Classes Begin – First Day of School
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

September 8 (H)
Regular Day

September 9 (F)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD – Individual Educator Choice

See you all soon!

Allan

 

August 16, 2022

By Allan  |  2022/08/16 21:48 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Assessment, Grants, Literacy, P.D.  |  Comments Off on August 16, 2022

Greetings Holt Staff,

I hope you’re all still enjoying your summer! Mine was rather short since I did summer school, but it was pretty quiet and much slower than the regular school year. My summer highlights were a few short trips to Yachats and Portland with the family. I only got one of my summer books read, but I highly recommend CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties if that’s your sort of thing. The movie I most enjoyed over the summer was The Perks of Being a Wallflower, though the actual best films I watched were probably the 1959 Japanese film The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (I still need to watch part II and III of this 9-hour 3-film epic I borrowed from Ben) or the Alfred Hitchcock films I watched with my kids (Rear Window, Psycho, & The Birds). My favorite proud parent moment of the summer was my kids getting into Stranger Things on their own. My 5th grader, Josie, really got into Eddie Munson’s Big Heroic Scene in the final episode and would walk around the house singing Metallica’s Master of Puppets, which I found hilarious. But enough about my summer.

Feel free to read these announcements now or ignore them until closer to your report-back date, but I figured I’d send this info out now for folks wanting to know the plan for the year.

For folks new to Holt, my intention with my weekly staff announcements is to send just one email to all staff per week during the school year, usually Sunday morning, so as not to clutter up your inboxes. My hope is that staff read the announcements by the end of the day Tuesday each week (once school starts, that is). These sometimes get long, but I like to err on the side of over-communicating rather than under-communicating. I’d advise staff to read the bold heading for each bulleted item and you can decide from there if it applies to you or not.

On with the lengthy thirty-two announcements!

• Welcome 22-23 New Staff – Please welcome the following fabulous new staff members to TEAM HOLT!

• 2nd Grade Teachers (Michael Dempsey & Myah Rabourn) – Michael is an experienced teacher who’s taught since 2004, starting out teaching high needs primary grade students in the Bronx, New York to teaching at the Hong Kong International School and most recently teaching at the Ruamrudee International School in Thailand. Myah student taught last year with Ashley and later was a regular sub for us in the spring, but before that was an EA in Lebanon School District and ended her time in Lebanon teaching 3rd grade on an emergency license.

• 3rd Grade Teachers (Kendalynn Ball & Marissa Harshbarger) – Kendalynn student taught at Holt this past year in Liz’s classroom and also taught 2nd grade at summer school. Marissa student taught at Edgewood this past year in a 4/5 blended classroom and had prior experience as a SPED EA and also a Behavior EA in Springfield.

• Behavior EA (Levi Thompson) – Several of us got to work with Levi this summer at SEAL where he was the secretary and did a great job with kids and staff, but his day job last year was as a Behavior EA at South Eugene High School.

• Human Services Coordinator (Felicia LaCuesta) – Felicia comes to us from the Salem-Kaiser School District where she served in a similar role as the McKinney-Vento (homeless) Student Advocate for the past two years. Before that she worked as a Branch Director at the Boys and Girls Club. Also, if you’ve forgotten what this position is (since it’s a new one for us), it is something of a resource/wrap-around coordinator to help families in need get access community resources.

• Kinder EA (Amber Callier) – Amber comes to us from Howard where she was an Education Assistant in the CLC. Before that Amber was a special education EA from her home state of Georgia. Amber also lives right here in the Holt neighborhood!

• Lead Custodian (???) – We conducted interviews back in July and had a strong pool of candidates, but Facilities and HR are moving VERY slow. I’ve been told a job offer has been made, but am still waiting for an official announcement.

• Librarian (???) – We conducted pool interviews with Howard and Chavez last week and have selected a candidate for each of our schools, but are now waiting for HR to do their thing. Hope I’ll have something to announce by next week.

• School Nurse (???) – I’m told SSD has hired a nurse for us, but the person has not gone though the HR intake process yet, so hopefully I’ll have an announcement soon.

• Special Education Teachers (Emily Henson & Whitney Oliver) – Emily is our new full-time SPED teacher and comes to us from Utah where she’s taught in a self contained classroom at an autism charter school. Whitney will be our part-time SPED teacher, at Holt in the morning and Gilham in the afternoon. She’s an experienced teacher who was the CLC teacher at Chavez last year.

• Title 1 EAs (Carol Eichers & Lori Tingue) – We’re welcoming back two Holt Bolts, Carol and Lori. You may remember Carol from last school year when she took over as our COVID Utility EA for the last part of the year. Lori was with us two years ago, teaching with the Dynamos, and started with us last year before taking a temporary teaching position at Gilham.

I’ve also pleased to announce that Sped EA Darrin Heffington will be returning this fall. We’re thrilled to have you back, Darrin!

Below is a list of the classroom teaching assignments and linked here is a complete 2022-2023 Staff List. Also, the Holt Website Staff Directory has been updated. Let me know if I missed anyone.

KG: Katie Gulewich, Lesli Harmon, Robin Seno, Robin Vaughan
1st: Jacque Barton, Heidi Gori, Lisa Zluticy
2nd: Michael Dempsey, Jenna Norton, Myah Rabourn
3rd: Kendalynn Ball, Marissa Harshbarger, James Longoria, Desiree Talley
4th: Caitlin Benavides, Elizabeth Cobb, Ashley Reich
5th: Liz Ayres, Debbi Heinrich, Candace Lovato, Geoff Parks

We’re excited have all of you join our team!

• Updated School Map – Linked here is an Updated 22-23 Holt School Map of where folks are working this year. Let me know if you spot anything that looks wrong. This doc can also be found on the Staff Google Drive under MISC > Maps.

• Building Access & Sign-In – SEAL finished Monday and KITS finishes Thursday. Once your classroom is no longer being used, you’re welcome to come in if you’d like. Facilities is postponing our summer deep cleaning until winter break, partly due to Facilities staffing shortages and partly to allow staff wanting to come in early to do so. For now they’ll just do a quick summer cleaning.

If you do come in early and outside of regular work hours, be sure to remember to sign-in on the sign-in/sign-out sheet, which will ensure the building is armed if you’re the last one out.

• Report Back Dates, CLASSIFIED DATE CHANGE – Please note HR made a mistake on the Classified Work Year Calendar and you now report back one day later than what was originally on the calendar. Here are the report back dates:

• Elementary Secretaries – Monday, August 15
• Licensed Staff – Friday, August 26
• Classified Staff – Tuesday, August 30 (196-day on 8/24)

• Inservice Week Schedule – Linked here is a Draft Inservice Week Calendar downtown shared with principals, which has dates, times, and locations for teachers. It’s still in draft form because they need to confirm host schools can accommodate their plans (I just found out on Thursday Holt is hosting Sheldon Region elementary teachers the 26th and 29th). A final draft will be sent soon. Counselors, Librarians, Music, PE, and SSD licensed staff will have PD different from what’s on the Holt Staff Calendar, so see the above link and watch for additional information from your district admins.

Classified Staff are scheduled to have a district led PD the first day you report back on Tuesday, August 30th, but principals do not have any details on that yet.

For the one day on Inservice Week I’m in charge, I’ll try to keep things useful but succinct, so staff can maximize what little prep time you have (Candace gave me a gentle nudge over the summer and tagged me on the meme below).

I’ll add Zoom links, locations, and other details to the Staff Zimbra Calendar as I get them, but here’s the inservice week calendar as it currently stands:

August 23 (T)
New Teacher Welcome Event (Time & Location TBA)

August 24 (W)
New Teacher Welcome Event (Time & Location TBA)

August 25 (H)
New Teacher Welcome Event (Time & Location TBA)

August 26 (F)
8:00-9:00, Time to Pick-Up Wit & Wisdom Materials
9:00-4:00, Wit & Wisdom ELA PD – Day #1 (Holt)

August 29 (M)
8:00-3:00, Wit & Wisdom ELA PD – Day #2 (K-3 @Zoom, 4-5 @Holt)

August 30 (T)
Protected Teacher Planning
Classified Staff Report Back
Educational Assistant PD (Location & Time TBA)
8:30, Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! (School Garden)

August 31 (W)
8:00-12:00, Holt Back to School Meeting (Cafeteria)

September 1 (H)
7:30-10:00, 4J Back-To-School Gathering (Tentative)
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades K-2 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Math for for 3-5 (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Kidnerzone Meeting (TBA)

September 2 (F)
9:00-12:00, Universal Design for Learning PD (SEHS)
1:00-4:00, Math for for K-2 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades 3-5 (Zoom)

September 5 (M)
Labor Day – No School

September 6 (T)
Collaborative Planning Time for Lang Arts Adoption
8:00-10:00, Staff Meeting (if needed)
10:00-11:00, Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A (Cafeteria)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher
3:00-4:00, Kona Shave Ice Fundraiser (Hard Play)

September 7 (W)
Classes Begin – First Day of School

• Wit & Wisdom Material Available – The new reading curriculum, Wit & Wisdom, has been delivered and classroom sets of materials are labeled and waiting outside each teachers’ classroom. However, K-2 still had a few items in Portland, so they’ll probably get delivered later this week. Also, downtown is having Unit Zero printed and bound for all teachers, but they are not done yet.

• Wit & Wisdom Online Access – All staff have digital access to Wit & Wisdom Online. Just visit the website and log on using the password: elafororegon

• Wit & Wisdom PD Notes – Katie Stiles, K-3 Literacy TOSA, had a few suggestions and notes regarding the PD on August 26th and 29th:

• Print Module #1 – It is available online, but she suggested printing the first model and bringing it to the PD.

• Review Student Text – She also said reading over the student text ahead of time will make staff feel more prepared.

• August 26th PD, In-Person – Friday, August 26th, all Sheldon Region elementary teachers grades K-5 will meet at Holt, 9:00-4:00. 8:00-9:00 is time for teachers to collect your teacher guide and other materials.

• August 29th PD, In-Person and Zoom – Monday, August 29th, K-3 will be on Zoom and grades 4-5 will be in-person at Holt, 8:00-3:00.

• Student Supplies (don’t help yourself just yet) – School supplies have started to be delivered, but teachers should hold off on gathering items. Office staff need to first take inventory to make sure we got everything we ordered and will let teachers know when we’re ready to distribute.

• Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! Tuesday, 8/30 @8:30! – Join us for burritos, coffee, school supplies and socializing with work friends! Brought to Holt Staff by the amazing group at The Hope Project on Tuesday, August 30th at 8:30 in the School Garden!

 

• Optional New Staff Member Orientation and Q&A, 9/6 @10:00 – I’ll be available 9/6 at 10:00 in the cafeteria to share some Holt nuts & bolts logistics, answer questions, and provide any assistance for new folks. I can get busy during inservice week, so I like to set aside a time when I’ll be available for new staff. You can also always text, call, or email.

• Meet Your Teacher, 9/6 @2:00 – In-person “Meet Your Teacher” is allowed this year and looking at past staff calendars, it was the Tuesday before the first day of school from 2:00-3:00, so that’s what I’ll send out to families, but let me know if that’s incorrect. I’ve also scheduled Kona Ice to come at 3:00, so hopefully that’ll make it easier to chase families out of your classrooms when the event is over.

• 2022-2023 Class Lists – Here’s the link to the 22-23 Class Lists that were created last spring. As usual, there are quite a few new move-ins and move-outs, so some adjustments will need to be made.

• 2022-2023 District PD Calendar – District admin shared the linked 2022-2023 DRAFT PD Calendar with principals if you’re interested. It’s changed a few times already, including (after input from principals) changing some of the SEL and Curriculum Friday PD days into building based or teacher choice days instead, so we have those at least once or twice a month. All dates are also on the Holt Staff Calendar.

• Work Hours, 7:30-3:30 – For full-time staff, we are back to our regular work hours of 7:30-3:30, and we are going back to students entering the building at the 7:50 morning bell.

• School Hours – Even though the school board approved counting PD, lunches, and recesses towards state required instructional minutes, elementary school hours are staying the same for this year, which are:

Monday – Thursday: 7:55-2:25
Friday: 7:55-1:10

• Holt Meeting Calendar – I stuck with the same meeting rotation as last year, with the exception of PBIS meetings. Downtown wants schools to hold a monthly SEL Meeting, which they suggested for elementary schools to roll into the PBIS Team, which will now meet twice a month:

• Staff Meeting (1st & 3rd Tuesday each month, 2:45-3:25)
• PBIS/SEL Meeting (2nd & 4th Tuesday each month, 2:45-3:25)
• IPBS Meeting (same week as second Staff Meeting, 2:45-3:25)
• Leadership Meeting (same as second PBIS Meeting, 2:45-3:25)
• Classified Meeting (Monthly on  “Staff Choice” Friday PD dates)

There’s a few months where adjustments had to be made because of non-school days, but this is the plan for most months.

• COVID Protocol Updates – We’re pretty much back to normal this year, with in person meetings (parent groups, Title 1 Family Nights, Meet Your Teacher, Book Fairs, etc.), field trips, and volunteers back in buildings. If you saw the most recent CDC recommendations for schools, 4J implemented most of those back in the spring. Principals are supposed to get a copy of the HR presentation we received today, but here’s the scoop on what was shared with us:

• Visitors & Volunteers – Volunteers are allowed in schools, but casual visitors who want to each lunch with their kids, walk them to class in the morning, or just want to stop by to visit are not allowed. Visitors are allowed to come in for IEP meetings, Parent Group Meetings, or enrolling new students, though Zoom continues to be an option for meetings, which I think a lot of families now prefer for convenience. 

All volunteers (even your friends and family helping to set up your classroom) need to check in through the Raptor Sign-In System in the main office. 

• Doors Will Remain Locked – Partly for safety and partly for COVID, all school doors will remain locked, just as we did last year. All volunteers will need to be let in through the main office. 

• Vaccination Requirements – The state is continuing to require staff to have on file a proof of vaccination or an approved exemption. District employees who are unvaccinated will be given a choice of weekly testing or wearing a mask full-time while at work. 

• Outside Groups – Kidsports, YMCA, City of Eugene and other outside groups are allowed to rent space at schools again, although they are required to provide proof of vaccination of all their employees if any part of their program overlaps with the regular school day. 

• No Fabric Furniture, Stuffed Animals, or Shag Carpets  – The ABC area rugs 4J purchased for teachers are still allowed and vinyl furniture is allowed, but long shag carpets, classroom stuffed animals, and fabric couches, chairs, or furniture are not allowed since they are harder to clean if your class were to have a COVID (or lice) outbreak. 

• COVID Positive Staff Protocol – If staff test COVID positive, you’re to notify your administrator (me). HR will let you know your official quarantine dates. The protocol for COVID positive students is coming soon according to this HR Email. 4J is working with Bethel and Springfield to so that all three districts are doing something similar for students. But the main message for staff and families is, if you are feeling sick, STAY HOME! 

• COVID Testing Partnership with UO – 4J is continuing their partnership with the UO, but are scaling back what schools are asked to do. Students will get a trimester worth of test kits and will have an unsupervised dropbox to return their kits for the UO to pick up. 

• ArtSpark Artist in Residence Survey – Holt will get two Artist Residencies again this year funded by ArtSpark. I want to get your preferences early, so we can lock in an artist and date before the good ones are taken. Please fill out the linked Artist in Residence Survey to help start the conversation when we make a decision at our Back-to-School Staff Meeting.

• Holt Staff Handbook – For new staff, the Holt Staff Handbook includes most every relevant building policy and procedure. Please take time to review the handbook and let me know if you have questions or if you spot anything that possibly needs revised.

• Conscious Discipline PD for EAs & K/1/2 Teachers, New Date Option – EAs and K-2 teachers have an opportunity to participate in a yearlong Conscious Discipline PD. This was shared in the spring, but downtown added a September kickoff meeting date for anyone wanting to join who is not able to attend the August 22nd or 23rd kickoff meeting. See the linked Conscious Discipline Email for details.

• Student Teacher, Anyone? – Western Governors University is looking for a placement for a student teacher this fall. See the linked email and let me know you are interested.

• Morning Arrival Plan – This is a repeat from last year, but now that we are no longer cohorting, the morning arrival plan for this year will have students eating breakfast back in the cafeteria. Here’s how it will go (depending upon the bus arrival times once we get them):

7:25, buses arrive and students are supervised in the cafeteria.
7:35, students are release to line up at the same grade level entrances we used this year and K/1 going out to hard play (they like to run).
7:35-7:50, students arriving later who want breakfast can go to the cafeteria until 7:50.
7:50, first bell rings and students to go to class.
7:55, tardy bell rings and all doors close.

I’ll review this plan with supervisors at the Classified Staff Meeting on Wednesday, August, 31st for input and any tweaks we might want to make. Here’s my initial plan for where supervisors will be stationed:

Cafeteria (Alex, Ashley C., Levi, Jackie, Lisa G. after buses)
A Wing Doors – 5th Grade (TBA HIRE & Iris)
B Wing Side Doors – 3rd & 4th Grade (Annie & Kelly)
C Wing Doors by Gym – 2nd Grade (Julie, Lisa P., Marilyn)
D Wing Doors – KG & 1st Grade (Cheryl & Wendy)
Crossing Guards (Darren & Ben)
Buses (Lisa G. & Molly)

• Rainy Day Arrival Plan – If get a downpour (kids can be tough if it’s light rain), we will use the same rainy day plan as last year. This would also apply to days with poor air quality, with the exception of moving the 5th graders outside into the gym. :

Cafeteria – (Levi, Jackie, Ashley C., Lisa G. after buses)
5th Grade – Covered Area (TBA HIRE. & Iris)
3rd and 4th Grade – Gym (Annie & Kelly)
     • Enter through gym doors on blacktop
2nd Grade – Library (Julie, Lisa P., Marilyn)
     • Enter through 2nd grade door and walks to library
     • Robbie in Library, Annie at door, Jackie at K-2 intersection
KG & 1st Grade – K-1 Hallway (Cheryl & Wendy)
*Outside – Kim, Allan, Darla directing traffic flow

AT BELL, all stations stay in area to avoid traffic jams. Use radios to coordinate release.
         • K-1 and 2nd graders in Library released first
         • 5th grade enters through A Wing exterior doors
         • 3rd & 4th released down main hall.

 

• Reimbursement Reminder – Two reimbursement reminders:

• Get Approval Before Purchasing – If you’re purchasing anything, you need to get purchases pre-approved by your principal (me). This is mostly to make sure you’re buying something Finance Dept. rules will allow us to reimburse you for. Food items are particularly tricky.

• Save Original Receipts – The Finance Dept. requires original receipts for reimbursements, so make sure you save those since bank records, credit card invoices, and such will not work.

• Tech Support Requests – Staff can submit tech support requests to our TSS (Technology Support Specialist), Rob Geerling, by emailing 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu, but you can now also use the new 4J Freshservice for technology help requests. At this site you can search the Solutions area of the customer portal, or the system will auto-suggest knowledge articles based on what you have typed in the Subject of the new ticket. You can also call the Tech Support Hotline at (541) 790-7777.

• Make Sure Your Voicemail is Set-Up – All teachers should ensure your 4J voicemail is set up and working. See the linked 4J Phone Voicemail Manual or this Quick Start Voice Mail User Guide for how to set it up, as well as for info on phone functions. If you have questions, please contact our TSS, Rob, at 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu or call (541) 790-7777. And if you are moving classrooms, do not move your phone to your new room. Phones are connected to a particular port, so moving them would cause you issues.

• Preptime for EAs – A reminder for teachers that the Classified Staff OSEA collective bargaining agreement obligates EAs assigned instructional responsibilities prep time and for building admins to notify teachers of the District’s expectation that EAs who provide instructional support to be provided the opportunity to discuss scheduling prep-time. See the linked email for details.

• SELCO’s Educator Grants, Due 9/30 – Super easy grant for free stuff! SELCO’s SPARK! Creative Learning Grant Program is now accepting applications for projects up to $1,000 that inspire curiosity, make learning accessible, and spark something new. Applications are open August 15–September 30. Visit the above link for details and to apply.

• YMCA is Hiring – For any staff wanting to supplement your hours, the Y’s Youth Development team is hiring for before and after school care program Aides, Teachers, and Site Directors. For any questions reach out to rachel@eugeneymca.org or APPLY HERE

• 2021-22 ODE School Report Cards – These linked State School Report Cards (link on email, not on blog) are embargoed for anybody outside the district until October 16th. For the first time in five years, these report cards are going to be used by ODE to determine the level of state support (comprehensive or targeted) that each school will receive in 2022-23. Overall, Holt scored better than other higher needs schools and better than lower needs schools than Holt, but I haven’t dug into the subgroup data yet.

• District Admin Updates – Linked here is the complete list of 4J Admin Updates (email and webpage), but highlights include:

• Chief of Staff: Rob Hess – Kerry Delf took a job in Beaverton and Rob Hess, who was the the HR administrator in charge of licensed staff, is taking her place. Downtown is hiring a separate Director of Communications, which is a duty Kerry also filled.

• Human Resources Administrator: Mike Ingman – Mike Ingram, former principal at Sheldon High School, is taking Rob’s place in HR as the licensed HR Administrator.

• Sheldon High School Interim Principal: Kay Graham – Kay Graham, former assistant principal at Sheldon, has been named interim principal for the year.

• Director of High Schools: Greg Borgerding – Greg Borgerding, who was the principal at Churchill High School, is taking Superintendent Andy Dey’s position as Director of High Schools.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next few weeks:

August 18 (H)
KITS Last Day

August 23 (T)
New Teacher Welcome Event (Time & Location TBA)

August 24 (W)
New Teacher Welcome Event (Time & Location TBA)

August 25 (H)
New Teacher Welcome Event (Time & Location TBA)

August 26 (F)
Licensed Staff Report Back
8:00-9:00, Time to Pick-Up Wit & Wisdom Materials
9:00-4:00, Wit & Wisdom ELA PD – Day #1 (Holt)

August 29 (M)
8:00-3:00, Wit & Wisdom ELA PD – Day #2 (K-3 @Zoom, 4-5 @Holt)

August 30 (T)
Protected Teacher Planning
Classified Staff Report Back
Educational Assistant PD (Location & Time TBA)
8:30, Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! (School Garden)

August 31 (W)
8:00-12:00, Holt Back to School Meeting (Cafeteria)

September 1 (H)
7:30-10:00, 4J Staff Back-To-School Gathering -Tentative
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades K-2 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Math for for 3-5 (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Kidnerzone Meeting (TBA)

September 2 (F)
9:00-12:00, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Strategies PD (SEHS Auditorium)
1:00-4:00, Health for Grades 3-5 (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, Math for for K-2 (Zoom)

September 5 (M)
Labor Day – No School

September 6 (T)
Collaborative Planning Time for Lang Arts Adoption
8:00-10:00, Staff Meeting – If Needed
10:00-11:00, Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A (Cafeteria)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher
3:00-4:00, Kona Shave Ice Fundraiser (Hard Play)

September 7 (W)
Classes Begin – First Day of School
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

September 8 (H)
Regular Day

September 9 (F)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD – Staff Choice

Let me know if you need anything and please resume your summer!

Allan

 

March 28, 2022

By Allan  |  2022/03/22 21:17 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Math, P.D.  |  Comments Off on March 28, 2022

 

Hello Team,

Hope you all had a good spring break. The highlight of my break was FINALLY getting/forcing my children to watch the first Star Wars film. I’ve earlier tried to get them to willingly watch, but I gave up on that and announced to them that they had no choice and that we were watching whether they liked it or not whether they liked it or not. And if you were wondering, I had them watch the non-special edition versions where Han shoots first. They still preferred “Turning Red” but whatever.

Twenty-one items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Five staffing updates:

• 22-23 Staffing Spreadsheet – Linked here this the complete classified and licensed 22-23 Staffing Plan. Custodial and Nutrition Services staffing are done by downtown, so that is not included here. Let me know if anything looks off or if you have any questions.

• Teaching Assignment Change – One change you may notice in the above linked staffing plan is that Lisa Z. and Elizabeth swapped grade levels, so for next year, Lisa will move back to 1st grade and Elizabeth will move up to 2nd grade.

• New CLC Staff – Joining Richard and Darren in the upper grade CLC is Julie McWhorter as our new CLC EA. Julie is a Holt parent and a former middle school teacher who took time off from teaching to be with her newborn child. She was our first choice for the position, so please say HI to Julie when you see her on Monday. Welcome to the team!

• SSD Staffing Info – I shared earlier Holt’s SSD Allocations, but one thing SSD has done differently this year is they no longer differentiate between LC and CLC allocations. As part of the “Learning for All” initiative, where students regardless of need (excluding Life Skills) stay at their neighborhood school. They have also eliminated 1:1 EA staffing and instead have a section noting “Students needing more intensive adult support.” Holt already does a pretty good job of offering a flexible continuum of services, with students receiving support in the LC or CLC regardless of placement, though for our SPED team this may complicate case management, but I’m sure we’ll figure things out.

• Student Service Coordinator – 4J added this 8-hour classified position to Howard, Chavez, and River Road the year and is now expanding it to Holt and a few other schools. If you’re a 4J old timer, this position is similar to the old Family Resource Center Coordinators, who supported families by directing them to community services, resources, and agencies. If you’re curious, this is the Job Description.

• UPDATED: Artist Schedule – Any classroom teacher who had changes already knows, but linked here is the Updated Artist in Residence Schedule for The Art of Fiddling and the Mystique of Louisiana with Kelly Thibodeaux. Session will be in the Music Room and regular Music classes will be in classrooms during the three week residency.

• Recess Rules Review Monday – A reminder we’re reviewing recess expectations this Monday according to the schedule below. Teachers should come out your class during the review, which will focus less on “Rules” and more on getting along, communication, and problem solving, which is where most of our playground issues stem from.

8:10-8:25 KG Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
8:35-8:50 2nd Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
9:00-9:15 1st Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
1:05-1:20 4th Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
1:30-1:45 3rd Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
1:55-2:10 5th Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)

• Recess Pick-Up Reminder – Speaking of recess, teachers, a reminder from classified staff, is to be sure you’re ready to pick-up your classes at the end of your grade level recess times. Many EAs have groups right after recess duty and end up having to start groups late if lines are not picked up on time. Also remember that morning and lunch recess are 5-minutes shorter on Fridays.

• Holt Spirit Day, FRIDAY, Sports Day & Assembly! – This Friday is a Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Sports Day! Wear your favorite team gear or simply wear your Holt spirit gear. I’m planning to wear my “Furies” baseball jersey and if you know what that’s from without using Google, you are seriously rad.

Linked here is the Sports Day Assembly Agenda. Teachers should log on at 7:40 and then turn on your cameras once kids come to school. Festivities begin at 7:55. 

 

• FRIDAY PD – OSAS Testing Security Training – Gloria will give the annual OSAS test security training this Friday at 1:30. Teachers and EAs who will be in 3/4/5 classrooms or SPED classrooms when testing occurs should attend. EAs can bank trade time for coming to this training. K/1/2 teachers will have a separate async PD activity I’ll share by email.

• COVID Rapid Tests Going Home with Students 4/4 – ODE has sent rapid tests to school districts with directions to distribute to all students at Title I schools. We’ll count these out for classrooms to send home next week on Monday, April 4th. I’ll include info in the next Quick News, along with the linked Home Kit Instructions (English and Spanish) and the linked videos (English and Spanish) on ​​how to use the iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Tests.

• 2022 Electronics Recycling Competition – Remind kids we’re in the middle of the 2022 Electronics Recycling Competition and to drop off any old electronics at NextStep (245 Jackson St.) during March and April (making sure they tell them it’s for Holt) OR drop them off at the collection site in front of the office we’ll set up the week of April 4-8. The school with the most “e-waste” collected wins a $500 gift certificate and a Next Step Robot made by a local artist. Holt won this competition in the past, so let’s see if we can win again!

• April 15 PD/Planning Day – As of the week before spring break, Instruction Department leadership had not met or shared out the plan for the April 15th PD/Planning Day. This day is supposed to be 5.5 hour of PD and 2 hours of prep. We asked at the last principal meeting if the PD would be district based or building based, but they did not not at that point. If it is building based, I am planning on doing an all-staff review of Kelso’s Choice, since we have many new staff and many since we didn’t have to use it for a couple years there. I’d also like to review the Second Step Bully Prevention Unit (which is different from the Erin’s Law Student Safety Unit). I’ll keep folks posted once I know the district plan for this date.

• McKinney-Vento Program Updates – Four updates regarding the 4J McKinney-Vento (Homeless) Program from an email sent to principals:

• 4J McKinney-Vento Referral Form – There is a new online referral option for staff and community members to refer students for McKinney-Vento supports. The 4J McKinney-Vento Referral Form works best, but referrals can also be made by email or phone (541-790-6888). This link is also on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Who Qualifies for McKinney-Vento? – Students are eligible if their housing situation isn’t fixed, regular, or adequate. Examples of living situations include:

• living in a trailer or RV
• staying with others (extended family/friends) due to financial or other hardship
• living in a motel/hotel
• living in substandard housing (electricity/water turned off, over-crowded)
• sleeping in a vehicle, tent, RV, public space or other space not meant for habitation

If you become aware of any students in one of these situations, let me know and we can notify the McKinney-Vento Team to reach out to the family for support.

• New McKinney-Vento Website – The McKinney-Vento team as created a new user friendly 4J McKinney-Vento Website that includes resources, eligibility information, and a link to the above referral form for staff, students, families, or community member to make referrals to the team.

• Current District McKinney-Vento Count – Linked here is the current 4J McKinney-Vento Count through March. Holt has more homeless students than any elementary or middle school in the Sheldon Region and has the fifth highest count for any elementary school in 4J.

• No Student iPad Sharing – Although student iPads are staying at school, they are still checked out to individual students, so it’s important students are not using other studnets’ iPads. This is important because the personal liability rules still apply for damaged iPads (we may not know who damaged the iPad if they are sharing) and also for privacy reasons (so students are not getting access to others’ personal files or log-in information).

On a related note, I heard from a Tech Department buddy it was decided right before spring break that all of 4J will start keeping iPads at school, but they’re waiting to announce this change until they figure out the logistics of carts, chargers, and securing iPads at school, so we only went rogue for a few days there. ;)

• Post Mask Policy Transfers – Following the change of mask policy, Holt only had 3 students change pathways and it was 3 students moving from K-5 Connect back to in-person.

• Nut Free Lunch Table – Mentioned at last week’s Staff and Classified Staff Meeting was that for liability reasons, downtown is no longer allowing schools to be “nut free” and instead telling families we will offer “nut free tables” at lunchtime, which they believe will be easier to guarantee as nut free. I’ll be sharing the following article in the next Quick News:

Nut-Free Table In the Cafeteria

In the past, we have designated our cafeteria and school as nut free. School District 4J has determined schools do not have the ability to guarantee that eating areas are completely nut free. The health and safety of students is exceptionally important to us. We can guarantee that we have a nut-free eating area in our cafeteria that guarantees that students eating at that table have nut-free meals. Students sitting at a nut-free table must have a documented nut allergy and may be joined by students who have school provided meals, as we can guarantee that all school provided meals are nut-free.

 

• Safety Planning (i.e. Risk Assessment) Resources – Mostly for our IPBS Team, but maybe be of interest to others, the 4J Safety & Lagging Skills Planning Webpage lists resources to create a safety plan for a student going through a Behavioral Safety Assessment (BSA). This email provides additional info how 4J is trying to shift focus in plans to identifying the lagging skills driving a student’s behavior and providing an opportunity for learning, modeling, and practicing those skills.

• Sluggo’s Reading Challenge Video – If you want to show a video to kids about the reading challenge, the Ems sent a pretty entertaining 2-minute video explaining the bookmarks.

• District Admin Updates – Downtown emailed principals several admin updates over the break. The Charlemagne principal for next year is Joe Hadley, current South Eugene HS assistant principal. The Camas Ridge principal for next year is Hobie Blackhorn, current assistant principal at Shasta Middle School, The Awbrey Park for next year is Jared Tiecke, current principal at Mt. Angel School Middle School.

• New Resource: Care Solace – 4J has partnered with Care Solace, a new mental health service that matches students, staff, and families in need to verified, local service providers, securing appointments in days, not weeks or months. Principals or counselors can make referrals (don’t ask Max yet, counselors haven’t been trained just yet), so let us know if there are situations that could use a referral.

• Lane County Schools – Suicide Alert Meeting Info – Most of this is geared towards older students, but there is some info in this email from Lane County that does apply to students as young as 4-years old. There’s a Slide Show, Resources (including crisis support, counseling, support groups, bereavement services, and general websites), and a Toolkit for Schools.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Translating – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook is on Translating. Most school wide communication falls on me, but for those occasions anyone is sending something out school wide, DeepL is a more accurate translation service than Google Translate.

Translating:
We will translate school-wide correspondence in Spanish, if possible.

• Intervening Early to Improve Students’ Math Self-Efficacy – This Theory Into Practice Article say that self-efficacy (students’ belief that their efforts will produce success) “is arguably the most powerful motivational resource that drives individuals to engage, persevere, and accomplish goals in various domains.” In classrooms, self-efficacy is “the strongest predictor of students’ academic achievement.” But self-efficacy in math declines during the elementary grades. The authors say it’s urgent to counteract this negative trend before students reach adolescence, and suggest communicating these core messages to all students:

• Anyone can get smart and do well at math.
• My brain is like a muscle, and I can train my math muscles.
• I can do math better by working hard, using good strategies, and getting help.
• Overcoming difficulty is part of doing well in math.
• Girls can perform just as well at math as boys.

Conveying these messages well can change students’ fixed mindsets and gender stereotypical beliefs. The messages are most effective if they are presented in engaging classroom activities and that it’s better to conduct these activities with a classroom of students rather than individually, because some of the beliefs being counteracted are social in nature. See the above link for details.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

March 28 (M)
Classes Resume
Artist in Residence Begins
Kinder Staff Room Duty
8:10-8:25 KG Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
8:35-8:50 2nd Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
9:00-9:15 1st Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
1:05-1:20 4th Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
1:30-1:45 3rd Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
1:55-2:10 5th Recess Rules Review (Hard-Play)
2:45, Allan to Transiiton Meeting
6:00-8:00, Allan to 4J Equity Action Team Meeting (Zoom)

March 29 (T)
Regular Day

March 30 (W)
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
12:45-2:25, Storyteller, 4th Grade
5:30, School Board Work Session (Zoom)
6:00-8:00, Allan to 4J Equity Action Team Meeting (Zoom)

March 31 (H)
9:10-10:10, 4th Grade School Garden Project Lessons (Garden)
10:40-11:40, 4th Grade School Garden Project Lessons (Garden)
12:45-1:45, 4th Grade School Garden Project Lessons (Garden)
6:00-7:00, Mental Health Parent Night: Suicide Prevention & Awareness (Zoom)

April 1 (F)
Holt Spirit Day, Sports Day
April Fools’ Day!
7:30-9:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting (Zoom)
7:40-8:10, Sports Day, Virtual Assembly (Zoom)1:30-2:25, Friday PD – OSAS Test Security Training (Cafeteria)

April 4 (M)
School Librarian’s Day (5th Grade)
1st Grade Staff Room Duty
2022 Electronics Recycling Competition Drop-Off Week
8:30, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Zoom)

April 5 (T)
2:45-3:25, Staff Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:00, Conscious Discipline Parent Nights (Zoom)

April 6 (W)
9:00-10:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
12:45-2:25, Storyteller, 4th Grade
2:40-3:30, 2nd Grade Data Team
5:30, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

April 7 (H)
Regular Day

March 8 (F)
8:00, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Zoom)
1:30-2:25, Friday PD – School Improvement Plan (Cafeteria)
1:30-2:20, KG Data Team Meeting
2:25-3:15, 1st Grade Data Team Meeting

 

Have a good week and remember, lots of review and reteaching!

Allan

January 3, 2022

By Allan  |  2021/12/30 22:03 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, P.D., SEL, Video  |  Comments Off on January 3, 2022

 

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Hope you all were able to relax during your break and maybe even forgot what day of the week it was at some point.

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Jan. 3 Professional Development  – We’ll meet in the cafeteria for the Jan. 3 PD. 7:30-8:00 is an optional social time and the meeting will start at 8:00. I’ll have some continental breakfast type of food and drink. I’ll resend the agenda I shared right before the break. SSD, ELD, and staff on the ELA adoption team will leave the meeting early for a different meeting 9:30-12:30.

• Friday PD/PLC Time – This Friday’s PD will focus on the 4J ACT strand Achieve Equitable Outcomes, with a particular focus on Anti-Racism & Anti-Bias. Watch for a separate email with details on this Friday’s activity.

• School Choice Info – School Choice season has begun and school choice tours will again be over Zoom. I’ll hold virtual school presentations and tours on Jan. 11th (12:30PM), Jan. 20th (6:00PM), and Jan. 25th (12:30PM). Holt is closed to most students (we’re allowed to take about 10 kinders), so these tours serve more to retain neighborhood families who are considering trying to lottery into other schools. I’ll reach out to PAHS this week to see if a parent rep would be willing to share about the parent group and about Holt from a parent perspective. If there are any staff who are interested/will to join me in the presentations, I’d love to have more voices than just myself. You could share as little or as much as you’d like. Staff merely being present during these Zooms also helps families feel like we’re a family and a team and makes it more welcoming. Below is an article I’ll put in the next Quick News.

School Choice for the 2022-23 School Year

Spread the word to all of your friends that HOLT ROCKS! With Holt’s focus on the whole child we are an excellent school and a positive choice in your child’s education. With School Choice coming soon, please invite friends and acquaintances to visit Holt (virtually) and seriously consider joining the Holt family.

We’re holding virtual school presentations and tours on Jan. 11th (12:30PM), Jan. 20th (6:00PM), and Jan. 25th (12:30PM)

Please watch the 4J website at www.4j.lane.edu> Parents > School Choice for information on upcoming visitation opportunities and the upcoming lottery applications timeline.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95863212123?pwd=QTQxbFlmaU8wSlJaM3hKZGZmN3ZaQT09

Meeting ID: 958 6321 2123
Passcode: 908361

• Artist in Residence Update – Lane Arts go back to me over the break about our artist preferences. None of our top picks were available winter term (Jan, Feb, Mar), but our #1 pick, the fiddle artist, is available right after winter break. However, we need to find a dedicated space for him to see classes, such as the library or somewhere else. Space is pretty tight and I’m stumped on finding a spot outside of the library, so I’ve added this to Monday’s meeting as a business item. Please let me know if any of you have ideas on how we might make this work or if you think we should look for a different artist.

• COVID Protocol Updates – Five updates:

• REPEAT: Outdoor Mask Requirement (Students) – Downtown announced that starting January 4th students will no longer need to wear masks outdoors. Make sure students take their masks to recess so they can put them back on when they re-enter the building. Remind students to keep track of their masks at recess by:

• Mask lanyard,
• Pocket
• Slid below their chin
• Wrapped around their arm

• Outdoor Mask Requirement (Staff) – Downtown clarified that staff outside can only take their masks off if they can maintain 6-feet distance from students. With kids running up to adults at recess and arrival/dismissal on a pretty regular basis, I’d suggest staff use a mask lanyard so you can quickly mask up when you are closer than 6-feet with students.

• Masks at Recess Line-Up – At the end of each recess when kids line up, we will have students mask-up so they are ready to go when they re-enter the building. This will avert traffic jams at the doors going back in from recess.

• Masks at Arrival Line-Up – For morning arrival, staff should tell students to mask up a minute before the bell rings. Staff supervising entrances should get some extra masks to pass out as needed.

• CDC Quarantine Changes – You may have read in the news the CDC has revised their 10-day quarantine guideline to a 5-day quarantine. I emailed the 4J COVID person and they said this won’t change anything for us until the new guidelines are first filtered through the state, then the county, and then 4J, so we are status quo on 10-day quarantines and test-to-stay for unvaccinated students.

• 2.5-hour EA Vacancy – Our runner-up candidate for this position accepted another job with more hours, so I reposed the position. It closes on Sunday, Jan 2nd. HR will give me the candidate list sometime this week, so I’ve tentatively scheduled interviews for Wednesday, Jan. 12th, 2:40-4:30. Let me know if any of your are interested/willing to volunteer your time to help with interviews.

• Social Emotional Teaching Reminders – Two SEL reminders:

• Second Step Pacing Guide – I’ve shared this before, but linked here and also on the Holt Google Team Drive is the Second Step Year-Long Pacing Guide.

• Starting Each Class With a Warm Welcome – I see most teacher starting class each day with a morning meeting, which is great. This Edutopia Article and video below reinforces the importance of morning meetings as not just a good welcoming activity but also a proactive classroom management strategy. It builds community in the classroom, establishes a sense of shared values, and makes everyone feel included. These were made for the fall, so they reference the start of the year, but their lessons apply all year.

• UO International Student Free Presentations – The UO ICSP (International Cultural Service Program) is offering in-person and virtual cultural presentations to schools. See the linked UO ICSP Brochure and UO ICSP Website for student profiles, presentation topics, and how to request a presentation.

• Walk+Roll to School Day, WEDNESDAY– Remind kiddos this Wednesday is the monthly Walk+Roll to School Day, where we encourage students to walk, bike, carpool, or ride the bus to school. The goal is to reduce traffic and pollution around our school and to promote physical activity for our students. This happens the first Wednesday of each month.

• District Admin Update – Jose Salgado, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, has resigned from his position with 4J. Downtown has yet to decide on the future of this position (though I have my theories).

• District McKinney-Vento Student Data – Linked here is the most recent district-wide McKinney-Vento Student Report. These totals represent students for the entire school year, not necessarily who’s in buildings now. Holt server the fourth highest number of homeless students and families than any other elementary school in 4J. Not on my blog, but attached to the email is of which of our students qualify for McKinney-Vento.

• EEA Seminar Brochure – Linked here is the EEA 2022 Professional Development Seminar Series, which is filled with useful PD opportunities for EEA members, as well as an option to earn collect credits that can bump you up a column on the pay scale.

• Hazardous Weather Information for 4J Staff – With all the now we had over the break, as a reminder, linked here is the Hazardous Weather Information for 4J Staff district webpage, which has everything you need to know what to do when winter weather comes. Setting up the Text Message Alerts for whether closures and delays can be especially helpful.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Accidents – Staff & Students – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on accidents involving staff and/or students:

Accident:
Staff:
Any staff member involved in a workplace injury needs to inform the administrator and fill out an injury form immediately. If a form is not completed, personal loss may not be covered by workman’s compensation insurance. If you find it necessary to see a physician due to a work injury, please get information from office staff. The designated district facility is indicated on the form. Forms can be found on the 4J website.

Student:
In the case of minor accident or illness, send the student to the office with a Health Pass, or call the office to inform them that the student is coming to the office. Don’t hesitate to send another student as an escort if you feel the need. In the event of an injury, be sure to fill out an accident report. If the student is vomiting or feels they are going to, please send them with a trash can.

If a student is seriously injured then must be accompanied by a staff member. Please press the emergency wall button nearest the location of the injury and request assistance. If you are unable to leave the student having a health emergency to call the office, send a student to the office with a red card.

• JUST FOR FUN: The Far Side Returns! – Were you also a child of the ’80s or ’90s? If so were you also obsessed with The Far Side? Then you may be interested to know that after 25 years of silence Gary Larson occasionally posts new stuff on his Far Side Website.

 

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

January 3 (M)
No School — Professional Development/Planning Day
SPED/PE Staff Room Duty
7:30-8:00, Optional Visiting and Social Time (Cafeteria)
8:00-1:00, Staff Meeting/PD (Cafeteria)
1:50, Allan Meeting w/Angela Crum (Office)

January 4 (T)
Winter Benchmark Testing Opens
2:45-3:25, Allan to IEP Meeting (Zoom)

January 5 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
9:00-10:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-7:30, 4J/EEA Negotiation Session (Zoom)

January 6 (H)
Regular Day

January 7 (F)
1:30-2:25, Friday PD/PLC – Equity

January 10 (M)
Office/Library/Music Staff Room Duty
Winter Benchmark Testing Continues
2:30-3:30, Allan to Care Team Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

January 11 (T)
12:30-1:30, School Choice Presentation & Tour (Zoom)
2:45-3:25, PBIS Meeting (Library)

January 12 (W)
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
2:40-4:30, 2.5 Title EA Interviews (Library)
7:00-10:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

January 13 (H)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-7:30, 4J/EEA Negotiation Session (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Zoom)

January 14 (F)
1:30-2:25, Friday PD/PLC – SEL

January 17 (M)
No School — Martin Luther King Jr. Day

See you all soon!

Allan

November 22, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/11/20 19:53 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Technology  |  Comments Off on November 22, 2021

Howdy Bolts,

Fifteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Five staffing updates:

• Behavior EA Job Posting & Interviews – Our Behavior Support EA Job Posting is now up and closes Tuesday. Hopefully I’ll get candidates on the 24th and can set up interviews for the following week, most likely on Tuesday, Nov. 30th or possibly Thursday Dec. 2nd if HR is slow getting me the candidate list, so let me know if you’re interested in being part of interviews and I’ll send you candidate applications and interview questions.

• 2.5-hour Title 1 EA (Hannah Connor) – Hannah Connor was offered and accepted our 2.5 hour Title 1 EA job. She currently works and is planning to continue to work as a Behavior Technician at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders and prior to that worked as a Personal Support Worker.

• School Nurse (Lisa West) – Nurse Cathy has been the school nurse for the ENTIRE Sheldon Region, but she is getting some relief. Lisa West has joined 4J and will be taking over at Holt and Monroe. She was at Health Screening last week, so some of you may have already met her. I actually met her about 30 years ago, because we went to high school together (Go, Highlanders!).

• BEST Coordinator (Lily Hamilton) – I realized I hadn’t included in prior announcements Ben decided to decline the BEST Coordinator position in favor of retaining his building hours, which he would have had to give up job rights to, so downtown has been conducting interviews for a while and has hired a new coordinator for Holt, Lily Hamilton. She’s a recent graduate from the UO and has worked as a Garden Educator, a Summer Program Leader at Willamalane, and as a Preschool Teacher. Downtown is still hiring BEST EAs for Holt and once they are hired, we’ll be able start things up.

• Holt Same Name Fun! – If you’re keeping track, we now we have Ashley & Ashley, Debbie & Deb, Jackie & Jacque, Jeff & Geoff, Katie, Katherine & Kathy, Kelly & Kelly, Liz & Elizabeth, Melanie & Melanie, Robert & Robbie, and Robin & Robin. Most impressively, we now have Lisa, Lisa, Lisa & Lisa, who should really start their own band.

Please give a big welcome to all our new folks!

• Artist in Residence Survey 2021 (Term 2) – For our Term 2 Artist in Residence, teachers should take a look at the LaneArts Residency Descriptions to pick your top five artists. Then fill out the linked Artist in Residence Survey 2021 (Term 2), which will help facilitate our discussion and decision at our December 7 Staff Meeting. Please complete the survey by Friday, December 3rd.

• Fire Marshall Inspection Results – Ryan is connecting with folks who had items the Fire Marshal flagged as needed correcting. If you’re interested, linked here is the complete Fire Marshal Inspection Report, which also including additional emails and documentation. The two main items we got dinged for were:

• Combustable items hanging from ceilings
• Door egress width (3-feet) blocked by rolling carts and other items

Door egress is something they’ve always been stickers for, but items hanging from ceilings is a new one to me. The Marshall will be coming the first week of December to make sure we have corrected items on the report.

• Staff Meetings, Library or Cafeteria? – It was asked last week if we need to continue to meet in the cafeteria or if we could move back to the library. I checked with downtown and even though staff are vaccinated and we are wearing masks, we still need to maintain 3-feet distance, which we cannot do with a staff our size in the library, so for now we’ll continue holding Staff Meetings in the cafeteria.

• Timeline for Potential Staffing Shifts at Semester – It was asked at last week’s Staff Meeting what the timeline would be for potential staffing shifts as a result of students changing pathway from online to in-person or vice versa. I asked at a principals’ meeting and was told they should have more information following the middle and high school shifts, which are happening now at their trimester break. They’ve realized a lot of survey data need cleaning up, with duplicate, incomplete, and/or conflicting submissions. Once that is cleaned up, the process should move fairly quickly, but as of right now, we were not given any firm dates outside of January 10th is the deadline for elementary families to submit a change request and that second semester, when students would start their new pathway, is only twenty-one days later on January 31st.

• Current Online & In-Person Numbers – Related to the above, linked here Enrollment as of 11-01-21. Holt has 486 total students, including both online and in-person. 25 are in K-5 Connect, 15 in EOA, and 446 are in-person. The grade breakdown for online students is:

KG: 5
1st: 9
2nd: 7
3rd: 5
4th: 4
5th: 10

• FREE Students Coats – Jessica Cristobal, wife of UO Football Coach Mario Cristobal, donated a bunch of student sized coats to Holt. If you know of students in need of a winter coat, please check in with Melanie if we have coats in their size.

• Seesaw Family Connect – Downtown backed off on saying ALL school communication must go through Seesaw, but teachers should try to use Seesaw as a way for families to see what students are doing in class (recording videos of themselves or taking pictures of their work). This will hopefully build a connection with families, which is more challenging right now due to safety protocols. A short video message now and then can be another method for families to feel more connected to their child’s teacher.

• K-5 Health Curriculum Adoption/Pilot Opportunity – Let me know if any of you are interested in being on the adoption team to help select a new 4J Elementary Health Curriculum. See the linked email for details, but let me know by the end of the week if you’d like me to submit your name.

• Student Quarantine Change – Lane County Public Health notified 4J they are changing the 14-day quarantine for student close contacts to a 10-day quarantine. See this email for details. Another state change coming next month is a test-to-stay option.

• Reminder: Heath and Safety Protocols – HR asked principals to share a few reminders about face masks:

• Our team does not anticipate ODE or Lane County Public Health changing the requirement that face masks are required indoors for all students and staff.
• Masks should be worn at all times unless actively eating or drinking or if you are in a room with the door closed.
• Many staff have elected for an increased level of protection and use an N95 or KN95 mask. It is not appropriate to assume this means they are not vaccinated. If you recall, last year many of our employees were fit tested for N95 masks.

If you have any concerns about colleagues not following current protocols, please contact me.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Toys – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Toys, which are supposed to stay home:

Toys
Toys are to be left at home. If a student brings a toy, it is teacher discretion to remove and hold if it becomes a distraction. Toys for after school programs or events should remain in a student backpack

• Computer Science Education Week / Hour of Code Dec. 6-12– December 6-12 is Computer Science Education Week, which include the Hour of Code, which was started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities at Hour of Code, Computer Science Education Week, Khan Academy, and these Edutopia Articles. Let me know if any of you are doing something cool for the Hour of Code. I’d love to see if we can get some media coverage for some of our activities during Computer Science Education Week.

• JUST FOR FUN: What to Watch! – Ever wonder what’s new and good to watch on the streaming services? Check out Variety’s What to Watch page, which is updated weekly. They cover new and recommended shows on the major streaming platforms. I can usually find one or two new shows or movies that interests me.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

November 22 (M)
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
9:00, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Zoom)
4:30-6:30, Allan to Conscious Discipline PD (Zoom)

November 23 (T)
1:00-3:00, Holiday Food Box Pick-Up
2:45-3:25, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)

November 24 (W)
Regular Day (maybe)

November 25 (H)
No School — Thanksgiving Break

November 26 (F)
No School — Thanksgiving Break

November 29 (M)
4th Grade Staff Room Duty

November 30 (T)
2:35-4:00, Behavior Support EA Interviews (potential)

December 1 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
2:40-3:25, KG Data Team Meeting
7:00-10:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

December 2 (H)
9:45-10:45, Elem Director of Elementary Visit
2:35-4:00, Behavior Support EA Interviews (potential)
5:30-8:00, Holt Staff Annual Gingerbread House Event (Katie’s House)

December 3 (F)
7:30-8:30, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting (Zoom)
1:30-2:30, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)
1:30-2:20, 1st Grade Data Team Meeting
2:25-3:15, 2nd Grade Data Team Meeting
2:30-4:00, Allan to New Teacher Mentor Meeting (Zoom)

Fingers crossed for a nice and quiet short week.

Allan

November 8, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/11/06 19:40 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Equity, P.D.  |  Comments Off on November 8, 2021

 

Greetings Bolts,

Thirteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Three staffing updates:

• School Counselor Update – Max Taylor, our Behavior EA, was selected to take over as our school counselor for the rest of the school year. He’s already made great connections with some of our toughest kids and should be a great match for the position and for our school!

The transition plan is for Darla to stay on at Holt through conferences and to use the following Monday to have some closure with students and pass the torch to Max.

• 2.5-hour Title 1 EA Interviews, Wednesday – Let me know if you are interested (and available) in being part of interviews for a small 2.5-hour Title 1 EA Position we’ve created with our remaining Title funds. Interviews will be the Wednesday, 10:10-12:00 in the library.

• CLD EA Vacancy – We’re still waiting on HR to get back regarding their job offer to a candidate to fill Jason’s vacant CLC EA position.

• November Fire Drill, 11/16 @1:10 – Not this week, but next week on Tuesday, November 16th at 1:10 will be our November Fire Drill. Linked here is theBuilding Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Line Map.

• Conferences Updates & Reminders – Seven parent/teacher conferences updates and reminders:

• Conference Schedules to Office – If you haven’t already, send a copy of your schedule to Melanie.

• Seesaw and Families – Make sure families are signed up with Seesaw Family at conferences. You can see which family members are connected by logging into your Seesaw account and clicking on the ADD families button.

 

 

• Resources for Families – Should any families request tutoring, the Eugene Rotary (WEBSITE and FLYER) offers free virtual tutoring and the NAACP (WEBSITE and FLYER) also offers a free in person tutoring program for all BIPOC students. Teachers should NOT suggest tutoring, because that puts the district on the hook to provide or pay for tutoring.

• Allan’s Conference Tips – Parents generally just want to see that teachers “know” their child and care about them. If you can convey that at your conference, usually by sharing a story or two, mission accomplished! My other advice is to start conferences off with “How do things look on your end?” or other open ended question so parents to share anything that’s on their mind, rather than making them wait until the end and possibly running out of time.

• REPEAT: EA Extravaganza, WEDNESDAY – Educational Assistants should attended the EA Extravaganza on Wednesday from 8:00-12:00 via Zoom. See the above link for sessions, times, descriptions, and Zoom links, and see Marlee Litten’s Email for additional details.

• REPEAT: Title 1 Compacts & Conferences – Title 1 Compacts (English and Spanish) should be reviewed with all families at conferences. For the signatures, the teacher and student should sign the form and for parents review the permission section at conferences and then just date the form in the parent signature line that the parents agreed to do their part.

• REPEAT: Wednesday PAHS Lunch – PAHS is planning to provide a big lunch for staff on Wednesday, with enough to be left over for dinner if staff are still working in the building then, so I’ll need to get a head count at Tuesday’s Staff Meeting of how many people will be in the building this day.

• Recess and New Kickball Rules – Linked here is the Recess Equipment and Activity Rules Doc, which is a living document of the most current recess rules. Most recently we added Kickball Rules to the doc, which Kim and I will come around to review with grades 3, 4, and 5. Teachers should email us a good date and time to come in for a 10-15 minute block of time to go over the “official” kickball rules.

• Referral Reminders – When writing a referral remember to:

• Press Hard with a Pen – Minor and Major referrals are on NCR paper, so use a pen and press hard so what you write goes all the way through the three layers.

• No Student Names in Description – Major referrals are sent home to parents, so do not include other student names in the description section. On major referrals, there is a spot on the second page of the NCR paper to include this information.

• List Just One Behavior Type – SWIS, the system we enter minor referrals, only allows for one violation/behavior type, so check off the most egregious behavior if an incident has multiple offense types (i.e. if a student called someone a name and then pushed them, check off just “Physical Aggression”).

• Parent Requests for SPED Eval – Any time a parent requests their child get an IEP or wants them tested, make sure you notify me or our school psychologist, Kelly Kirk, immediately. A legally mandated timeline starts from the moment parents make that initial request.
• Artist in Residence – Our first Artist in Residence, Glass Fusing Fun with Rachell Jarvis, is finally set-up and will be Nov. 29 through Dec. 17. See Lesli’s Email if you have any scheduling requests (though no promises).

• Staff Directory Photos Update? – Anyone hate their picture on the Staff Directory Webpage? Let me know and I can update it with this year’s photo. If you don’t have a photo on the school website, be sure sure to get your picture taken on Picture Retake Day next week on Wednesday, November 17th. BONUS FUN: If you log onto Adobe with your school email and password, you can have some fun removing your school picture background to make some much more fun of backgrounds.

 

• Language Arts Adoption Updates – If you’re interested, Expeditionary Learning (EL) and Wit & Wisdom are the two curriculums that will be piloted this year. One of them will be adopted for implementation next school year. Linked here is an Adoption Update Email that gives an overview of what’s happed so far in the adoption process as well as a timeline for next steps.

• Franz Bakery Virtual Field Trip – Franz Baker is offering a virtual field trip and will give classes bakers’ hats and a voucher per. If you’re interested, linked here is their Franz Bakery Virtual Field Trip Email, but you just need to email a few dates and time to Jodie Kelly FranzBakeryTours@usbakery.com

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Head Injuries – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Head Injuries. See the 4J Students with Concussions Webpage for additional details, including the letter that is to go home with students who’ve had a head injury:

Head Injuries:
• Any students who has incurred a head injury must be sent to the office for evaluation.
• Students should be escorted
• Parents must be informed of any head injuries, even if minor

• Thanksgiving Lessons Reminder  – Here’s my annual reminder about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Staff should keep in mind that student conceptions of Native Americans often come from classroom activities around the First Thanksgiving. These conception of Native Americans gained from such early exposure is often both inaccurate and potentially damaging. When planning activities, be aware that what most of us learned in school about the “Pilgrims” and “Squanto” and the “First Thanksgiving” is a mixture of both history and myth. Thanksgiving activities should avoid reinforcing historical myths and should also avoid stereotypes (ie. NO warbonnets!) It’s often best to shift the focus away from the “First Thanksgiving” and instead focus on items children can be thankful for in their own lives and on their families’ celebrations of Thanksgiving at home. Some resources on what to avoid and what to teach can be found at the National Museum of the American Indian, Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance), and Education World. This Google Doc links to a ton of read aloud stories, primary sources, site, and other information about Native and Indigenous People. Here is a good article with a Native American Perspective on Thanksgiving as well as one on The True Story of the First Thanksgiving. Also, the 4J Natives Program is available for classroom presentations year-round and can offer an accurate picture of Native American culture.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

November 8 (M)
1st Grade Staff Room Duty
2:30-3:30, Allan to Care Team Meeting (Zoom)

November 9 (T)
3:25-7:35, Parent/Teacher Conferences (Zoom)
4:00-8:00, Holt Night Out Fundraiser – Chipotle Mexican Grill4:05, Allan to Conference (Zoom)
5:30-6:30, 4J Parent Info Session: COVID-19 & Schools (Zoom)
November 10 (W)
No School – Conferences
8:00-12:00, EA Extravaganza (Zoom)8:00-8:00, Parent/Teacher Conferences (Zoom)
9:00-10:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
10:10-12:00, Title EA Interviews (Library)

November 11 (H)
No School — Veterans Day

November 12 (F)
No School — Parent/Teacher Conferences Comp Day

November 15 (M)
2nd Grade Staff Room Duty
Melanie Out – Katie Subbing
Darla’s Last Day
9:00, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

November 16 (T)
1:10, Fire Drill
2:45-3:25, Staff Meeting (Cafeteria)

November 17 (W)
Picture Retakes
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
7:00-10:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

November 18 (H)
K-3 Vision Screening
K-5 Dental Screening
5:00-6:00, Site Council (Zoom)
6:00-7:00 PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to ELA Adoption Meeting (Zoom)

November 19 (F)
Regular Day

And remind students about the Holt Night Out Fundraiser at Chipotle this Thursday, 4:00-8:00!

Allan

August 30, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/08/28 15:13 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Grants, Literacy, P.D., Technology, Video  |  Comments Off on August 30, 2021

 

Hello Holt Staff,

Welcome back to the 2021-2022 school year! If you hadn’t read my prior announcement from earlier this month, be sure to go back and review those for info about this school year.

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Three staffing updates:

• Staffing Reduction – Last Thursday I was notified Holt was being reduced by one full-time teacher due to under-enrollment (nine other schools also lost 1-2 teachers each), but since Ashley Wolf is joining Eugene Online Academy (EOA), we do not have to displace anyone. However, we did need to shift someone into Ashley’s 2nd grade position. Downtown suggested and I agreed that one of our four 1st grade teachers should move into that position, so the 1st grade team met on Friday and Lisa volunteered to take Ashley’s spot. Thank you, Lisa.

In terms of overall enrollment, we were projected at 529 students and currently have 440 enrolled, which puts us 89 students under-projection. We only had 37 students request to go online (ten at 1st grade, four at KG, nine at 2nd, four at 3rd & 4th, and eight at 5th), which is fewer than most schools our size.

• Behavior EA Vacancy – Mandy has been offered a position with more hours at Spencer Butte Middle School, so we have a vacant Behavior EA position. HR said they would get the position posted this week, so if you know of anyone good who wants a 6.5-hour position, please encourage them to apply.

• BEST Updates – Holt is slated to open a BEST After School Program this fall, but 4J is having a hard time filling vacancies for even existing BEST programs. Right now there are five BEST Coordinator vacancies out of seven programs. If it comes down to it, downtown is rightfully going to prioritize existing programs over new ones, so it’s a possibility we may have to wait another year before we get BEST at Holt. I have mixed feelings on this. I’m disappointed we won’t have this additional support for students, but I’m also a little relieved at not having to coordinate one more new thing. I’ll update folks as I find out more. Job postings for a BEST Coordinator, Assistant, and EA positions are on the 4J Jobs Website if you or anyone you know is interested.

• Class Lists Update – Not in my blog, but attached in my email is a spreadsheet of of students who chose EOA or 4J K-5 Connect. 2021-2022 Class Lists should be updated by Wednesday at noon. Sending and receiving grade levels should connect regarding who, when, and how you want to update your lists. Let me know if you’d like me to be a part of any class list meetings or discussions.

• “Golden Hour” and Meeting Schedule Updates – I’ve added this to Monday’s agenda, but the “Golden Hour” is no longer on Mondays and is back on Fridays, but schools need to decide if they want the PLC and district PD to happen on Wednesdays or Fridays. Below is what was shared with principals on Friday.

Building Schedule – The feedback was exceptionally valuable in developing the following guidelines. Please note, the 60 minutes of continuous prep is being scheduled for Friday this year only.

• 60 minutes of continuous prep must be provided on Friday this year.
• At least 20 minutes of daily prep must happen prior to teachers supervising students.
• Building decides how much morning transition time is necessary to bring kids in the building, get them breakfast and off to the classroom. (At least 10 minutes)
• PLC weekly (Wednesday or Friday).
• Professional development in ACT and building priorities weekly (Wednesday or Friday).
• No administrator initiated meetings on Monday.
• Building and staff meetings can happen on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

• School Supplies for 2021-2022 – School Supplies are being provided by downtown. They are in the library and teachers should take what you need, but not more (no hoarding). If grade levels need additional items not purchased by the district, connect with Melanie.

• COVID Protocol Updates – Six COVID Protocol updates of note:

• 2021-2022 Elementary FAQ – The school district as created a 2021-2022 Elementary FAQ. It’s a pretty exhaustive document, but let me know if you have any questions about protocols or if there are questions you have it does not answer. Additional info can be found on the previously shared 4J COVID Rules – Visitors, Volunteers & Field Trips.

• PE and Music Protocols – I’ve already shared this with Alex and Ashley, but if you’re interested in the guidelines for PE and Music this year, they are:

• Students must maintain 3-feet physical distance “to the extent possible.”
• Masks must be worn inside the building.
• Masks are not required outside.
• Staff do not need to clean surfaces or equipment between groups (We’re not seeing spread via surfaces).
• Every student washes hands or uses hand sanitizer leaving PE or Music (we’ll station a hand sanitizer station in the hall outside Music and PE hallway).
• No wind instruments in Music.
• Singing with masks on is allowed.

• Breakfast Update – Student will need to collect their breakfasts at the exterior building entrances and not at classrooms. This is due to 4J being out of compliance with Federal Meals Program rules and Nutrition Services likely being audited this year.

• Restroom Cohorting – Each wing should use the same restrooms they were assigned in the spring (see linked Cohort Map), but we do not need to use these restrooms during lunch or recess.

• COVID Testing Partnership with UO – I don’t yet have all the details yet, but 4J schools are participating in a voluntary COVID testing system with the UO where students can choose to be tested weekly at home. Our only role would be to distribute test kits and later ship the returned tests to the UO. Linked here is a Program Flyer.

• New Water Bottles – We did purple last year and this year we have green. They should hopefully arrive next week.

• Inservice Schedule Updates – I’ve sent updated Staff Meeting Agendas in a separate email for the principal led portions of inservice week. Zoom links are now all on the Staff Zimbra Calendar. Linked here is complete Inservice Week Zoom Links. For the all-district PD where everyone is joining the same Zoom (Keynote, ELA + Math Acceleration, and Literacy PD), downtown is hoping schools and/or grade level teams will watch one Zoom feed. Last spring when everyone joined separately, it caused some lagging issues. Here are some additional inservice week reminders and info:

• REPEAT: Report Back Dates– Here are the report back dates:

• Licensed Staff – Monday, August 30
• Classified Staff – Thursday, September 2

• REPEAT: K-1 & Title EA Heggerty PD – Any K-2 or Title 1 EA who have not participated in a previous Heggerty training should attend one of the Zoom sessions on Friday, September 3rd at 8:00-9:50 or 10:00-11:50. Zoom links are on the Staff Zimbra Calendar. I’d recommend attending the second session so you can attend the first part of the Staff Meeting on Friday.

• REPEAT: ArtSpark Artist in Residence Survey: DUE: SUNDY NIGHT – Teachers should fill out the linked Artist in Residence Survey by Sunday night to help start the conversation when we make a final decision at our Back-to-School Staff Meeting on Monday. Artist info is on the Lane Arts Website.

• REPEAT; Single Student Desk Raffle! – The single student desks are to arrive Tuesday morning. We have enough desks for 8 (maybe 9) classrooms. Add your name to the Single Desk Lottery Google Form if you’d like something other than your current desks.

• REPEAT: Breakfast Burrito Orders Due 8/31 – Want a delicious breakfast burrito on Friday? Fill out the linked Breakfast Burrito Google Form by 9:00am, Tuesday, August 31st (student teachers included). You’ll need to log onto your 4J Google Account to complete the form. Let me know if you have any trouble with the form and I can input it for you.

• Keynote Speaker: Keith Jones – See the YouTube video Keith Jones: Un-Rapping Disability to learn about this year’s Keynote speaker, Keith Jones, a musician and disability rights advocate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFHshGDAU9Q

• Classified & Licensed Self Assessment & Goals – All staff, both classified and licensed, need to complete a self assessment in TalentEd by September 30th. Licensed staff need to also complete a Goals Development Form by October 30th, which later next month we can develop some optional building goals people can use.

• EEF 2021-2022 Grant Applications DUE OCT 1st – EEF usually accepts applications in the spring, but last year was not typical, so EEF made the decision to move the granting process to this fall. EEF Grant Application will be available on their website under the “Grants” tab at the top of the page by September 1st. Applications will due October 8th, 2021. Before submitting grants online, let me know your grant title and idea so Site Council can rank order grant submission (no need to do a full write up for this step). Let me know if you have any questions or care to discuss grant ideas.

• GoNoodle Plus is FREE! – GoNoodle Plus is Free to all educators for the 2021-2022 school year. See the GoNoodle News Release for info, but just sign up for an account to get in on the deal.

• LTD Bus Passes for Students – This program is more utilized by middle and high school, but free bus passes are available for all 4J students. If you know of a student who could use this, let me know and I can arrange for them to get a free pass. Additional information can be found on the LTD Website.

• FREE Program: Architects in Schools – Free design program for 3-5th – Architects in Schools (AiS) provides free architecture and design programming to 3rd-5th grade students and teachers. AiS materials can link to almost any classroom subject and is proven to be most impactful among low-income students, ELL students, and non-traditional learners, and reinvigorates student interest in school. If teachers are interested in using this program, see the linked AiS Flyer, Application Info, and Teacher Application. The deadline to apply is October 22nd.

• REPEAT: Who is A/B and C/D on the Schedule? – If you haven’t already, grade level teams should let me know which classes will follow the A, B, C, or D schedules and I’ll add names to the Master Schedule and PE/Music Schedule.

• REPEAT: Make Sure Your Voicemail is Set-Up – Ensure sure your 4J voicemail is set up and working. See the linked 4J Phone Voicemail Manual or this Quick Start Voice Mail User Guide for how to set it up. If you have questions, please contact our TSS, Brian Lambert, at 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu or call (541) 790-7777.

• District Admin Updates – If you’re interested, linked here are a few District Admin Updates, including District Athletic Director (Patrick Brown), Health Services Supervisor (Joy Maxwell), Human Resources COVID Support (Heather Stein), and South Eugene High School Assistant Principal (Rhiannon Boettcher).

• Which Reading Strategies to Try, and Which to Ditch – Research shows that some popular activities for reading instruction don’t actually result in more fluent readers—so this Edutopia Article and video below round up the most classroom-worthy ones (and the ones to ditch).

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

August 30 (M)
Licensed Staff Report Back
8:00-8:30, Welcome Back Social w/Breakfast Treats! (Cafeteria)
8:30-10:00, Building Welcome Back & A.C.T. PD (Cafeteria)
10:00-11:30, 4J Keynote – Keith Jones (Zoom)
12:30-3:00, PLC Info & Business Meeting (Cafeteria)
4:00-5:30, Optional KinderZone PD (Ed Center)

August 31 (T)
8:00-11:30, 4J Instructional Tech (Zoom)
8:00-10:00, 2nd Grade Heggerty Phonemic Awareness (Zoom)
12:30-4:00, 4J ELA + Math Acceleration PD (Zoom)

September 1 (W)
Teacher Planning Day
8:00-9:00, Allan to Elementary Principal Meeting (Zoom)
8:30-9:00, Treats & Supplies from Project Hope! (Front of School)
9:00, Optional Q&A Session for New Staff (Library)

September 2 (H)
Classified Staff Report Back
8:30-9:00, Welcome Back Social w/Breakfast Goodies! (Library)
9:00-11:00, District Kick-Off Event (Zoom)
12:00-4:00, 4J Literacy PD (Zoom)
12:00-4:00, SSD Staff Meeting with SSD Dept. (Zoom)

September 3 (F)
8:00-8:30, Welcome Back Social w/Breakfast Burritos! (Cafeteria)
8:30-12:00, Principal Led PD – Learning for All, Anti-Racism Instructional Strategies, SEL (Cafeteria)
September 6 (M)
Labor Day, No School

September 7 (T)
8:00-12:00, Staff Meeting, if needed (Cafeteria)
1:00-2:00, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)

September 8 (W)
Teacher Planning Day
9:00, Optional Q&A Session for New Staff (Library)
10:00, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)

September 9 (H)
Transition Day
2:30-3:15, IPBS Team Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:00, PAHS Meeting (Zoom)

September 10 (F)
Classes Begin for All Students

See you soon!

Allan

August 23, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/08/21 20:28 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Grants, P.D., Technology  |  Comments Off on August 23, 2021

 

Howdy Everyone,

The countdown to school has begun.

Thirteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Two staffing update for this week and we are now fully staffed for the year!

• Annie Carpenter (4-hour EA) – Annie is currently working as a Life Skills EA at ESY (Extended School Year Summer Program) and prior to that she was the Hybrid Utility EA at Awbrey Park. Before that she worked as an elementary EA in Veneta and way before that, I was her principal at Yujin Gakuen (I’m old). Please welcome Annie to Team Holt!

• Holt BEST EA Job Opportunities – If any classified staff are looking for additional hours, or if you know of anyone good, there are two job posting up right now, Program Coordinator Assistant, BEST Afterschool Program (closes 8/24) and Educational Assistant, BEST Afterschool (closes 9/5). Holt will get a BEST Afterschool Program this year and are partnering with YMCA, where the programs will serve 50-80 students and run until 5:30 or 6:00, five days a week, also proving students with a dinner.

• Inservice Schedule Updates – I’ve sent the Staff Meeting Agendas in a separate email for portions of inservice week that I’m in charge of. The most current dates and times are at the bottom of my announcements and also on the Staff Zimbra Calendar. Downtown made a few changes to the week, including adding an optional KinderZone Meeting on Monday (in-person), a Heggery training for 2nd grade Tuesday (Zoom), a meeting on Thursday for SSD Staff (Zoom), a Heggerty Training for New EAs on Friday (Zoom), and I added a Leadership Team Meeting on 9/7 to touch base with last year’s team. Downtown hasn’t sent all of the Zoom links the district-led PDs, but I will add them to the Staff Zimbra Calendar as they come in. Here are some additional inservice week items of note:

• K-1 & Title EA Heggerty PD – Noted above, any K-2 or Title 1 EA who has not participated in a previous Heggerty training should attend one of the Zoom sessions on Friday, September 3rd at 8:00-9:50 or 10:00-11:50. Anyone wanting a refresher is also welcome to attend. Zoom links are on the Staff Zimbra Calendar.

• Optional Q&A Session for New Staff, Wednesdays @9:00 – I’ll be available Wednesday 9/1 and 9/ 11 at 1:00 in the library to check-in, answer questions, or provide any assistance for new staff. I can get busy during inservice week, so I like to set aside a time when I’ll be available for new staff. You can also always email, text, or call.

• Transition Day 9/9 – Thursday, September 9th will be a day for kindergarten only to be in the building. It’ll be all-hand-on-deck for helping this day. Classified staff will push into classrooms as well as licensed staff, though if classroom teachers want to use this day for personal phone calls to connect with families, that is an acceptable alternative. This item is also on the BTS Meeting Agenda.

• Care and Connection Week – ODE is asking schools to focus on Care and Connection the first week students return, and also for the first week when staff return, which is why I’ve hacked off and impressed some of the PD time, so people have more time to plan and prep. I think it’s pretty clear staff will need extra time to plan since you can’t recycle your usual start-of-the-year activities since this is not a usual start-of-the-year. If you’re interested, there are some resources on the ODE Care and Connection Week Website.

• ArtSpark Artist in Residence Survey – Holt will get two Artist Residencies this year funded by ArtSpark. One big change is we can choose from both visual and performing arts artists, which means we can ask for artist who do dance, drama, or music. I want to get your preferences early, so we can lock in an artist and date before the good ones are taken. Please fill out the linked Artist in Residence Survey to help start the conversation when we make a final decision at our Back-to-School Staff Meeting.

• REPEAT: Breakfast Burrito Orders Due 8/31 – Want a delicious breakfast burrito for our first meeting back with the whole gang together again? Fill out the linked Breakfast Burrito Google Form by 9:00am August 31st and I’ll have a hot burrito waiting for you Friday morning. You’ll need to log onto your 4J Google Account to complete the form. I’ll also have food for folks the first day licensed staff report back (8/30) and also the first day classified staff report back (9/2). Let me know if you have any trouble with the form and I can input it for you.

• Single Student Desk Raffle! – The single student desks are supposed to arrive this week! We have enough desks for 8 (maybe 9) classrooms. Please add your name to the Single Desk Lottery Google Form if you’d like something other than your current desks. A few classrooms already have some older single desks, so if any of those teachers win this raffle, their old single desks will be added to the raffle at the end.

 

• COVID Updates – The latest RSSL has come out and and downtown is mostly solid in their COVID protocols. For the most part, protocols are the same as in the spring, except we have 3-feet physical distancing instead of 6-feet, staff must wear masks at all times unless in a room by themselves (with a few exceptions), and masks are not required outside. Let me know if you have questions or if there are questions I should ask.

• Updated Class Capacity – Taking into account the new 3-foot instead of 6-feet distance guideline, linked here is the Updated Holt Classroom Capacity Sheet. I’ll update numbers posted on classroom doors this week. Looking at current Student Totals, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade will be slightly over capacity. I’ve notified Jeff and Melissa about this, but the exact language of the RSSL advises for “maintaining at least 3 feet of physical distancing to the extent possible.”

• Open House, Not Allowed – Parent, volunteers, and other “non-essential” volunteers are not allowed inside schools, so that means no Open House. However, I am putting on the 8/30 Meeting Agenda to discuss if we want to do some kind of virtual open house, maybe individual class Zooms, or one big schoolwide Zoom where we introduce staff and then parents can pepper me with questions, or maybe just stick with a welcome email when we email class lists (see next item).

• Class List Email 9/3 @3:00 – We’ll likely need to update Class Lists once we see who all is going to EOA or 4J K-5 Connect, which I predict will not be as many students as last year. We’ll get that list sometime later this week, but the district class list notification process will be the same as last year, with all classroom teachers sending a welcome email at the same time, which will be on Friday, September 3rd at 3:00pm. I’d advise folks to “schedule” your emails in Zimbra, so you don’t have to worry about hitting send two something times at 3:00. Let me know if you’d like me to show you how to use the schedule feature.

• Breakfast & Lunch – Breakfasts will be as we did them in the spring. Grab-and-go meals which students will eat in the classroom. Lunches will be eaten the cafeteria, but classrooms will have assigned tables and students will have spots 3-feet apart. Linked here is the 4J Breakfast & Lunch Consideration Doc if you want all the details. This doc says to pass out breakfast at entrances, but I’m going to check if we can do it how we did last year in classrooms, since that was folks preference.

• Area Carpets are Coming Back! – You won’t be able to seat your entire class on the carpet at once with the 3-foot rule, but teachers are allowed to have their carpets back in class.

• Separate Supplies for Students – There has not been a lot of transmission over surfaces, but 4J is playing it safe and all students should have their own supplies, using either desk cubbies or the book boxes from last year to store items.

• Mask Lanyards for All Students – Downtown purchased mask lanyards for all students, which should help when students transition from indoors to recess or other outside activities.

• Water Bottles are Coming – I ordered a new set of water bottles for students since drinking fountains are still off limits.

• Other Questions? – When I get a chance, I’m going to update the Holt COVID Protocol Handbook and will share that soon, but what are we forgetting? What haven’t we thought of? I’ve already gotten some good questions from folks, so keep them coming. A few lingering questions downtown is still working out include:

• If a student has to quarantine for two week, do they go to EOA, get a paper packet, Zoom into their classroom, or something else?
• If breakfast is in the classroom, what time are schools letting students in so that teachers don’t lose contractually guaranteed prep time?
• If we’re not as worried about transmission over surfaces, does that mean we do not need to assign cohorts to specific restrooms?
• Can we offer on-site tuition based after school programs, such as Young Rembrandts?

• Back to School Family Newsletter – Im going to finish the Holt Family Welcome Back Quick News later this Sunday and send it out Monday morning, but the link will be up on the Holt School Webpage before I email it if you want a preview.

• Make Sure Your Voicemail is Set-Up – All teachers should ensure your 4J voicemail is set up and working. See the linked 4J Phone Voicemail Manual or this Quick Start Voice Mail User Guide for how to set it up as well as info on other phone functions. If you have questions, please contact our TSS, Brian, at 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu or call (541) 790-7777.

• REPEAT: Report Back Dates – Most staff report back the last week of August. Here are the report back dates:

• Licensed Staff – Monday, August 30
• Classified Staff – Thursday, September 2 (196-day on 8/27)

• REPEAT: 21-22 Master Schedule – Linked here is the 2021-2022 Holt Master Schedule and is also on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• REPEAT: Who is A/B and C/D on the Schedule? – If you haven’t already, grade level teams should let me know which classes will follow the A, B, C, or D schedules and I’ll add names to the Master Schedule and PE/Music Schedule.

• REPEAT: Holt Staff Handbook – The Holt Staff Handbook includes most every relevant building policy and procedure. Please take time to review the handbook.

• SELCO’s Educator Grants, Due 9/30 – SELCO’s SPARK! Creative Learning Grant Program is now accepting applications for projects up to $1,000 that inspire curiosity, make learning accessible, and spark something new. Applications are open August 15–September 30. Visit the above link for details and to apply.

• FREE Google for Education Level 1 Certification – ODE and Google are partnering to offer educators their Google for Education Level 1 Certification. See this ODE News Release for additional info. The deadline to apply is September 15th.

• Podcast Suggestion: Jessica Lahey on Armchair Expert – Candace shared this Armchair Expert Podcast Episode (Spotify) with me where Dax Shepard interviews Jessica Lahey, a teacher and author. She speaks primarily about parenting, but nearly all of her advice also applies to teaching. Next time you’re working in your room, think about putting this podcast on in the background. It’s full of good advice.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next few weeks:

August 23 (M)
Office Opens
August 26 (H)
6:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Zoom)

August 30 (SA)
9:00-12:00, Project Hope – Holt Clean-Up Day

August 30 (M)
Licensed Staff Report Back
8:00-8:30, Welcome Back Social w/Breakfast Treats! (Library)
8:30-10:00, Building Welcome Back & A.C.T. PD (Library)
10:00-11:30, 4J Keynote – Keith Jones (Zoom)
12:30-4:00, PLC Info & Business Meeting (Library)
4:00-5:30, Optional KinderZone PD (Ed Center)

August 31 (T)
8:00-11:30, 4J Instructional Tech (Zoom)
8:00-10:00, 2nd Grade Heggerty Phonemic Awareness (Zoom)
12:30-4:00, 4J ELA Adoption (Zoom)

September 1 (W)
Teacher Planning Day
9:00, Optional Q&A Session for New Staff (Library)

September 2 (H)
Classified Staff Report Back
8:30-9:00, Welcome Back Social w/Breakfast Burritos! (Library)
9:00-11:00, District Kick-Off (Zoom)
12:00-4:00, 4J Literacy PD PD (Zoom)
12:00-4:00, SSD Staff Meeting with SSD Dept. (Zoom)

September 3 (F)
8:00-8:30, Welcome Back Social w/Breakfast Treats! (Library)
8:30-12:00, Principal Led PD – Learning for All, Anti-Racism Instructional Strategies, SEL (Cafeteria)

September 6 (M)
Labor Day, No School

September 7 (T)
8:00-12:00, Staff Meeting, if needed (Cafeteria)
1:00-2:00, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)

September 8 (W)
Teacher Planning Day
9:00, Optional Q&A Session for New Staff (Library)
10:00, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)

September 9 (H)
Transition Day
2:30-3:15, IPBS Team Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:00, PAHS Meeting (Zoom? School Garden? Library?)

September 10 (F)
Classes Begin for All Students

See you all soon, but not too soon. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Allan